Signs of friction within Korea-US alliance as North Korea ramps up nuclear threats
As North Korea escalates its nuclear threats and seeks to drive a wedge between South Korea and the United States, signs of discord within the alliance are fueling concern.
At last month’s Ninth Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea, Kim Jong-un pledged to accelerate the buildup of his country’s nuclear arsenal and broaden its deployment.
He branded South Korea “the most hostile entity” and warned that its complete collapse cannot be ruled out if it were subjected to a North Korean nuclear attack.
He dismissed Seoul’s appeasement policies as a “deceptive charade,” adding that there was “nothing to discuss” with South Korea.
By contrast, Kim said that if the United States recognizes North Korea as a nuclear-armed state and drops its hostile policy, “there is no reason we cannot get along well.”
His remarks underscore that the strategy of engaging Washington while sidelining Seoul remains unchanged.
Meanwhile, coordination between South Korea and the United States is showing signs of strain.
The unilateral aerial drills conducted by US Forces Korea over the West Sea vividly illustrate the discord.
On Feb. 24, the USFK issued a late-night statement denying a local media report that its commander, Xavier Brunson, had apologized to Seoul over the West Sea air drills and disputing the South Korea Ministry of National Defense’s claim that there had been no prior information-sharing. The rebuttal was highly unusual.
Nor is this the only development that would be hard to imagine if South Korea-US coordination were functioning normally.
Differences also persist over Seoul’s apparent plan to unilaterally restore a no-fly zone near the inter-Korean Military Demarcation Line, a move that US forces have reportedly viewed with concern. The zone was originally created under the Sept. 19, 2018, military agreement between South and North Korea and was later scrapped.
Seoul and Washington have also differed over the ruling party’s push to revise the demilitarized zone law to grant South Korea's unification minister shared authority to approve access to the zone — a power now held by the commander of the United Nations Command, who also heads US Forces Korea.
South Korean and US military authorities announced Friday that they would conduct 22 field training exercises during the Freedom Shield drills set to run from March 9 -19.
Last year, under the administration of President Yoon Suk Yeol, 51 field training exercises were conducted. Cutting them to about 40 percent of last year’s level represents a substantial scale-down. The US military is said to have favored keeping the exercises at levels comparable to previous years.
The Lee Jae Myung government’s move to scale back the exercises appears intended to avoid provoking North Korea in hopes of facilitating inter-Korean dialogue.
However, Kim Jong-un brushed aside the conciliatory approach of the Lee administration and responded with a barrage of hostile rhetoric. He also vowed to carry out a range of drills to ensure his country's military masters the operation of nuclear weapons. Kim may grow even more fixated on nuclear weapons and securing recognition as a nuclear-armed state after seeing Iran's supreme leader killed in a US-Israel military strike.
Seoul must never forget that Pyongyang seeks to marginalize it while engaging Washington to weaken the alliance. North Korea is likely to regard South Korea’s goodwill as a sign of weakness. At a time when the North is threatening a nuclear strike, an appeasement policy — especially one that undercuts military readiness — could prove dangerous.
A military that scales back on or neglects training is more likely to falter in a crisis. Even if the government pursues appeasement to facilitate inter-Korean talks, it must keep defense readiness at the highest level at all times.
khnews@heraldcorp.com
