[Reporter’s Notebook] Anxious Public Amid a Strained South Korea-U.S. Alliance

On the afternoon of the 25th, the atmosphere in the Ministry of National Defense press room in Yongsan was ice-cold. The spokespersons of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the United States Forces Korea had come to the press room for an off-the-record back briefing after finishing their joint briefing on the Freedom Shield (FS) combined exercise. At this meeting, the South Korean and U.S. authorities stated that there would be no disruption to the plan for the first-half combined exercise to be conducted next month. However, they said they had not yet set the schedule for the field training exercise, known as Warrior Shield, and merely repeated that it was "under discussion."

Reporters who had hoped the back briefing would provide a thorough background explanation were quickly disappointed. When asked how much the exercise had been scaled down and why, the same parroted answer of "under discussion" was given during the back briefing. The fact that the two sides had not been able to coordinate even the exercise schedule, with less than a week remaining, can only mean that their differences are that significant.

It is known that our side belatedly proposed either dispersing Warrior Shield throughout the year after the FS period or minimizing it. This appears to reflect consideration of relations with North Korea. Some also view it as reflecting opinions within the government that the conditions for resuming dialogue between North Korea and the United States must be taken into account ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to China, scheduled for late March to early April.

The U.S. military is said to have reacted negatively to the South Korean proposal. Their reasoning is that a reduction is impossible, as some additional U.S. troops and equipment have already arrived in South Korea to take part in the field training exercise. After the back briefing ended, the press room was filled with voices of concern over the clash of views between South Korea and the United States.

The difficulties are numerous. Our government is poised to restore the September 19 Military Agreement. It is expected to focus on the no-fly zone issue. Because this also affects surveillance and reconnaissance assets, the U.S. side may refuse. If our military is unable to conduct reconnaissance and surveillance, it will have to rely on U.S. reconnaissance satellite assets, and the extent of U.S. cooperation remains uncertain.

The issue of authority to approve access to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) is another source of discord. The United Nations Command has said that this "directly conflicts with the Armistice Agreement and excessively undermines the authority of the Commander of the United Nations Command." The Ministry of National Defense recently proposed joint management of the DMZ to the U.S. side, but it does not appear likely that the United Nations Command will easily accept this.

The world is currently in a state of military confrontation. The Russia-Ukraine war is now in its fourth year. The situation in the Middle East is also unstable because of Iran. China has its sights set on Taiwan. The United States has turned its back on Europe. The public cannot help but feel anxious. It is time once again to recall that stability on the Korean Peninsula rests on a strong South Korea-U.S. alliance. One can only hope that the slogan shouted together by the South Korean and U.S. forces, "We go together," does not remain an empty catchphrase.