Anna Jiwon Park has been covering the politics at The Korea Times since the summer of 2024, when she joined the press pool for the Office of the President in Korea. Prior to that, she spent about five years reporting extensively on financial markets, regulatory authorities and the financial industry. She joined The Korea Times in 2019 after spending eight years as a broadcast journalist at Arirang TV, Korea’s leading global broadcaster, covering politics, defense and culture.
S. Korea regrets transfer of USFK air defense assets to Middle East, Lee says
President Lee Jae Myung speaks at a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap
By Anna J. Park
President notes relocation of USFK assets does not impact Seoul's defense posture
The Korean government has expressed its opposition to the transfer of some U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) air defense weapons to the Middle East, President Lee Jae Myung said Tuesday, but stressed that the move will not weaken the country’s deterrence against North Korea.
Speaking at the beginning of a Cabinet meeting in Cheong Wa Dae, Lee addressed the growing debate over reports that some U.S. air defense batteries stationed in Korea have been transferred abroad.
“We have expressed opposition to USFK transferring some air defense weapons according to its own military needs, but it is also the reality that we cannot fully enforce our position,” the president said.
Lee emphasized that the transfer will not significantly affect Korea’s ability to deter any potential aggression from North Korea.
“If you ask whether this creates serious obstacles for our deterrence strategy against North Korea, I can say with certainty that it does not,” he said.
He noted that South Korea’s defense spending ranks among the highest in the world, adding that some estimates place the country’s annual defense budget at roughly 1.4 times North Korea’s gross domestic product.
“According to objective assessments by international organizations, Korea’s military strength ranks around fifth in the world,” Lee said. “Objectively speaking, the gap between South Korea and North Korea is enormous.”
He added, “Of course, there is the special factor of North Korea’s nuclear weapons, but when it comes to conventional combat power and military capabilities, the difference is overwhelmingly in our favor.”
The official response follows significant heavy-lift activity observed recently at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. According to flight tracking data from Flightradar24, several U.S. Air Force C-5 and C-17 transport aircraft — some of which arrived at the facility in late February — departed in a series of flights earlier this month.
This combination photo shows a launcher from a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery in a ready position, left, and dismantling work underway on another launcher, right, at a U.S. THAAD base in Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province, last Thursday. The U.S. Department of Defense is moving part of the THAAD system deployed in Korea to the Middle East, according to media reports Tuesday. Yonhap
According to a report by The Washington Post, the U.S. Department of Defense is redeploying parts of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system from South Korea to the Middle East as the U.S.-Israel military standoff with Iran intensifies.
Lee said that national defense is ultimately the responsibility of each country and underscored the need to prepare for worst-case scenarios.
“We must always think about what we would do if there were no external support,” he said.
He added that Korea needs to strengthen its self-reliant defense capabilities so it can adequately defend itself even if external support shifts amid changes in the international order.
A security expert who spoke on condition of anonymity also agreed with the president’s assessment, saying the adjustment was not made at a level that would affect deterrence.
“The redeployed assets are reserve capabilities of USFK being moved to the Middle East, so the forces assigned under our operational plans remain unchanged,” the expert told The Korea Times on Tuesday. “Because of that, the transfer is unlikely to have a significant impact on deterrence against North Korea.”
The expert added that South Korea’s existing capabilities would remain sufficient for defense unless there were a large-scale shift in combat forces.
The expert also noted that, from the perspective of the broader U.S. military posture, allowing the redeployment could ultimately align with South Korea’s strategic interests.
“The United States provides critical capabilities as our ally, and if its forces were to suffer setbacks elsewhere, it could ultimately affect South Korea as well,” the expert said. “From our perspective, it may appear that assets stationed here are being moved out, but in the bigger picture, it is important for the country's deterrence that our ally, the United States, resolves the situation quickly.”