Seoul signals shift on USFK role as Korea, US seek modernized alliance

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, left, shakes hands with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the State Department in Washington, D.C., Thursday (local time). Courtesy of Ministry of Foreign Affairs

South Korea and the United States may discuss an expanded role for U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) from its current function of deterring North Korean threats to addressing wider regional issues in the Indo-Pacific, a ranking Seoul official has signaled.

While the U.S. has sought to make the change under the label of a “modernized alliance,” primarily as a means of checking China’s increasing influence in the region, it marks the first time a top Korean official has acknowledged the possibility.

“It is possible that the role and nature of USFK can change for various reasons,” the senior official told Korean correspondents in Washington, Thursday (local time), on condition of anonymity.

As for those reasons, the official cited “evolving geopolitics, technological shifts and the growing strategic influence of China.”

At its core, modernizing the alliance means expanding USFK’s focus from deterring North Korea to include “strategic flexibility,” which refers to the Pentagon’s long-standing position that American troops stationed in Korea should be able to respond to crises beyond the Korean Peninsula.

There has been continuous speculation that such a move would inevitably reduce the 28,500-strong USFK — either temporarily or permanently — by moving some of the troops to other parts of the region, including Guam. Seoul has shown reluctance to discuss the topic, as opponents claim the reduction will undermine South Korea’s defense posture against North Korea. Moreover, that change would potentially provoke Beijing, since the “modernized alliance” apparently targets China.

However, the unnamed official was not the only one to remark on the possibility. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Friday that Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio have pledged to modernize the alliance to keep pace with a shifting security and economic environment during their first meeting in Washington, Thursday (local time).

The previous day, Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also agreed to discuss ways to modernize the alliance in a reciprocal manner, according to the defense ministry.

“The alliance won’t agree on everything,” the official said. “But given the changing security environment, these discussions have become unavoidable.”

He stressed that understanding America’s position does not automatically mean endorsing it.

A CH-47 Chinook helicopter takes off from Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday. Yonhap

Spotlight on strategic flexibility

Retired Lieutenant General Chun In-bum, a former commander of Korea’s Special Warfare Command, said Washington’s insistence on strategic flexibility is “not new, but the public acknowledgement is.”

“Korea needs to see this not just as an American demand, but as an opportunity,” he told The Korea Times. "Guaranteeing such flexibility could actually serve as an insurance policy against a U.S. troop drawdown."

He emphasized that even in the event of a scenario where China attacks Taiwan, the primary mission of the USFK would remain the defense of South Korea. “A full-scale U.S.-China war is unlikely,” he said. “But if a limited conflict were to break out, Korea would inevitably be involved to some degree. Even then, the main role of the USFK would be to provide support and escort services, rather than to fly combat sorties into Beijing.”

The revived debate over the role of the USFK sets the stage for a high-stakes summit later this month. When President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump meet, they will face a crowded agenda, including defense cost-sharing, the transfer of wartime operational control and the balancing of strategic flexibility with South Korea’s security priorities, Chun said.

In the meantime, Cho and Rubio reaffirmed the two nations’ commitment to the complete denuclearization of North Korea, closer three-way security coordination involving Japan and the development of cooperation in advanced fields such as artificial intelligence, nuclear energy and quantum science.

The two ministers also agreed to coordinate the schedule for the first Lee-Trump summit. Although no date has yet been set, both governments are working to shape the agenda around “upgrading the alliance into a future-oriented, comprehensive partnership,” according to the ministry.

Cho also revisited Lee’s inviation for Trump to attend the APEC Summit slated for Oct. 31 to Nov. 1 in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province — an invitation Rubio said Washington “is aware of and will actively consider.”