U.S. authorities reportedly pondered over the idea of pressuring South Korea to boost its defense spending to 3.8% of its GDP during negotiations over tariffs.
The US-South Korea negotiations, currently underway, focus on strengthening the alliance and deterrence against an increasingly assertive China. These discussions revolve around three main areas: South Korea's defense spending, the operational flexibility of US Forces Korea (USFK), and the potential expansion of the defense treaty's scope.
Under the Trump administration, the US has considered demanding that South Korea significantly increase its defense spending, up to about 3.8% of its GDP. This demand aligns with the Pentagon’s view of a global standard for allies spending around 5% of GDP on defense. The US seeks to ensure greater South Korean financial contributions to the alliance and burden-sharing.
There is active discussion regarding allowing USFK greater operational flexibility. This would mean broadening the mission of USFK beyond traditional defense against North Korea to potentially include expeditionary operations related to deterring or responding to Chinese military actions. The US seeks to use South Korea as a strategic base for a wider range of operations, including contingencies involving China, with the goal of increasing deterrence against China in the region.
The US has formally proposed expanding the U.S.-ROK Mutual Defense Treaty, originally focused on collective defense in the Korean Peninsula, to cover the larger Indo-Pacific region. This repositioning would imply that South Korea shares responsibility not only for North Korean threats but also potentially for conflicts involving U.S.-China tensions, such as a crisis in the Taiwan Strait.
These developments accompany ongoing joint military exercises like Ulchi Freedom Shield 25, which emphasize combined readiness, interoperability, and a demonstration of the ironclad commitment between the US and South Korea to regional security. The alliance modernizes its posture to adapt to "evolving geopolitics, technological shifts, and the growing strategic influence of China."
The upcoming summit between South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Trump is expected to take place later this month. Seoul and Washington are currently working on shaping the agenda for the summit, which could include the topics of South Korea's defense spending and the operational scope of USFK. The US may demand a significant increase in Seoul's share of the cost for stationing USFK troops, and has weighed the idea of requiring South Korea to publicly support operational flexibility of the US Forces Korea.
In summary, the US-South Korea negotiations aim to strengthen deterrence against China while maintaining readiness against North Korea. The US is pushing for greater contributions from South Korea in terms of defense spending and operational flexibility, and is proposing to broaden the defense treaty to cover the wider Indo-Pacific region. These changes reflect the key motivation behind proposed adjustments to spending and force operations: adapting to the evolving geopolitics, technological shifts, and the growing strategic influence of China.
In light of the evolving geopolitics and strategic influence of China, the ongoing US-South Korea negotiations are discussing policy and legislation related to war and conflicts, particularly focusing on increasing South Korea's defense spending and granting US Forces Korea greater operational flexibility. These discussions are also considering expansion of the defense treaty's scope to include the Indo-Pacific region, which could potentially involve South Korea in conflicts involving US-China tensions. The general news surrounding these negotiations highlights the Politics of ensuring strong alliances and deterrence against an assertive China.
