It has been reported that the phrase "maintaining the current level of US Forces Korea" will be omitted from the joint statement of the 57th Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) between the US and South Korean defense ministers, which is scheduled to be announced soon. This is being interpreted as leaving open the possibility of changes to the composition and role of US Forces Korea. In addition, it is reported that the warning language aimed at pressuring North Korea will be significantly softened.
According to military sources on November 7, the upcoming SCM joint statement is expected to include the phrase "reaffirmed that US Forces Korea will maintain its forces and posture to prevent armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula and to promote peace and stability in Northeast Asia." This essentially signals agreement in principle to maintaining US Forces Korea's presence, but the word "current," which had been included in the joint statement every year, has been omitted. This suggests that, as long as it does not affect the maintenance of forces, the composition or size may change.
Regarding the role of US Forces Korea, last year the statement described it as "deterring North Korean aggression," but this year it is expected to change to "preparing for all regional threats, including North Korea." This means that the scope of US Forces Korea's response is not limited to North Korea alone, reflecting the so-called "strategic flexibility" that has been raised since the launch of the second Trump administration.
The warning language toward North Korea included in this statement also appears to differ from previous administrations. Last year, the statement included the phrase "any nuclear attack by North Korea cannot be tolerated and would ultimately result in the end of the Kim Jong Un regime," but this year it is reportedly omitted. The phrase "the end of the Kim Jong Un regime" was first included in the 54th joint statement in November 2022 during the Yoon Suk Yeol administration and was maintained last year. Since the launch of the Lee Jaemyung administration, this is seen as part of efforts to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula and to keep open the possibility of resuming US-North Korea dialogue in the future.
The US and South Korea plan to release the SCM joint statement, agreed upon by the two countries' defense ministers, after the announcement of the Joint Fact Sheet (JFS) summarizing the results of discussions between the two leaders.
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