US pressures South Korea to redefine alliance, pivot away from North Korea
South Korea to 'modernise' their bilateral military alliance and ensure a timely response to threats from Pyongyang and beyond the peninsula, in comments seen as pressuring Seoul to shoulder a greater security burden.
Advertisement
US Forces Korea (USFK) Commander General Xavier Brunson, in his first press conference with local reporters since taking command in December, said modernising the bilateral military alliance was essential to keep it 'ready, relevant and able' to respond to evolving regional threats, such as from China and Russia.
'What's being asked of Korea is to be stronger against the DPRK, that we might have the flexibility as we modernise our alliance so that we could go do other things,' Brunson told journalists on Friday last week, referring to North Korea by the abbreviated form of its official name.
He highlighted the 'strategic flexibility' of US troops, citing the rare relocation of a Patriot missile battery from South Korea to the Middle East in April to support operations against
Yemen 's Houthi rebels.
'That is strategic flexibility – the ability to be able to place your forces in space and time and need. That is what we seek to always be able to do,' he said.
USFK Commander General Xavier Brunson speaks at the LANPAC Symposium and Exposition in Hawaii earlier this year. Brunson wants Seoul's military to 'go do other things' with the US. Photo: US Army
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
6 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
China arms Burkina Faso as Sahel turns away from Western security promises
China is equipping Burkina Faso 's military and positioning itself for greater influence in the Sahel, filling a vacuum left by the collapse of security partnerships with Western nations, especially the United States and France. The move is part of a broader modernisation plan that the Burkinabe government, headed by junta leader Ibrahim Traoré , announced in late 2023 amid growing insecurity waged by jihadist militants, mostly affiliated with al-Qaeda and Islamic State After a complex diplomatic history that saw relations first established in 1973 and then severed in 1994, China officially re-established diplomatic ties with Burkina Faso in 2018. While Ouagadougou had historically sourced some arms from China, the restoration of relations set the stage for large-scale military cooperation , which began in 2024 with the signing of a multiphase deal with the Chinese state-owned defence contractor, China North Industries Group Corporation or Norinco. The country has received at least four major consignments from China since early 2024. The latest delivery, filmed at a port facility earlier this month, included VN22B fire support vehicles, PLL-05 120mm self-propelled gun-mortar systems and SR5 rocket launch systems, according to Military Africa, a news platform on African defence, security and military affairs.
South China Morning Post
9 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
South Korea's birth rate battles erode its military might: ‘still relatively large'
As South Korea 's troop numbers dwindle to levels unseen in decades, fears are growing that the country's ability to deter Pyongyang and secure its heavily fortified border with the nuclear-armed North may be slipping at a moment of heightened regional uncertainty. According to a Defence Ministry report released last Sunday, the South Korean military has shrunk by 20 per cent over the past six years, with active-duty personnel now numbering around 450,000 – down from about 690,000 soldiers in the early 2000s. Officials say the decline has been driven by a precipitous drop in the number of young men eligible for mandatory service: mainly the result of a deep demographic crisis This is despite all able-bodied men being required to serve at least 18 months in the military between the ages of 18 and 28. Those in the navy serve for 20 months, while those in the air force serve for 21 months. Civilians take part in a marine summer boot camp in South Korea's North Gyeongsang province last month. Military service is compulsory for able-bodied Korean men. Photo: Yonhap/EPA Though investments in advanced weaponry may compensate to a degree, this 'has its limits', as one analyst put it. The shortfall is already being felt on the ground. The Defence Ministry estimates that the military is 50,000 personnel below the threshold required for full operational readiness, with non-commissioned officer ranks particularly depleted. The most pressing issue? A severe shortage of troops to patrol the demilitarised zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, according to Jin Hwal-min, an assistant professor of political science at Chonnam National University in Gwangju.
South China Morning Post
9 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
South Korea's birth rate battles erode its military might
As South Korea 's troop numbers dwindle to levels unseen in decades, fears are growing that the country's ability to deter Pyongyang and secure its heavily fortified border with the nuclear-armed North may be slipping at a moment of heightened regional uncertainty. According to a Defence Ministry report released last Sunday, the South Korean military has shrunk by 20 per cent over the past six years, with active-duty personnel now numbering around 450,000 – down from about 690,000 soldiers in the early 2000s. Officials say the decline has been driven by a precipitous drop in the number of young men eligible for mandatory service: mainly the result of a deep demographic crisis This is despite all able-bodied men being required to serve at least 18 months in the military between the ages of 18 and 28. Those in the navy serve for 20 months, while those in the air force serve for 21 months. Civilians take part in a marine summer boot camp in South Korea's North Gyeongsang province last month. Military service is compulsory for able-bodied Korean men. Photo: Yonhap/EPA Though investments in advanced weaponry may compensate to a degree, this 'has its limits', as one analyst put it. The shortfall is already being felt on the ground. The Defence Ministry estimates that the military is 50,000 personnel below the threshold required for full operational readiness, with non-commissioned officer ranks particularly depleted. The most pressing issue? A severe shortage of troops to patrol the demilitarised zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, according to Jin Hwal-min, an assistant professor of political science at Chonnam National University in Gwangju.
