Creaks in Korea-U.S. ties spread from trade to security

Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back, right, and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shake hands prior to the 57th Security Consultative Meeting at the Defense Ministry in Seoul on Nov. 4, 2025. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Warning signs are emerging that agreements outlined in last year’s fact sheet issued by the leaders of South Korea and the United States are faltering not only in trade but also in security. The two militaries had planned to jointly announce on Wednesday their blueprint for the “Freedom Shield” exercises scheduled for March, but postponed the announcement due to disagreements over field maneuvers. Seoul favors minimizing outdoor drills, while Washington is said to be reluctant to do so.
 
More troubling is that recent discord between the allies’ defense authorities appears to be nearing a dangerous threshold. Earlier, Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back reportedly conveyed an objection to the commander of United States Forces Korea, a very unusual move, citing the lack of a detailed briefing on training flights conducted by U.S. fighter jets over international waters in the Yellow Sea last Wednesday and Thursday. Many inside and outside the military interpret the communication lapse as a sign of U.S. dissatisfaction with Seoul’s lukewarm stance toward joint drills in the western sea and its conciliatory moves toward Pyongyang. Indeed, the United Nations Command — whose commander concurrently leads USFK — has publicly expressed concern that a bill spearheaded by the Unification Ministry on the peaceful use of the Korean demilitarized zone could violate the Armistice Agreement. Washington has also shown little enthusiasm for a proposal to reestablish no-fly zones along the inter-Korean border to revive the Sept. 19 military accord.

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Amid this backdrop, no date has been set for a U.S. delegation to visit Seoul for talks on key elements of the bilateral security accord, including nuclear-powered submarine construction and issues related to enrichment and reprocessing of nuclear materials. Discontent in Washington over the implementation of trade agreements is not only casting a shadow over security cooperation, but also disagreements over defense issues are becoming a stumbling block to Korea-U.S relations in general.
 
At root, the situation reflects differing perspectives between the allies on China and North Korea. Under its new National Security Strategy, Washington has made containing Beijing — alongside homeland defense — its top priority. Seoul, however, remains cautious about expanding the strategic flexibility of USFK out of concern for China. On North Korea, too, friction was foreseeable: while the United States pursues additional sanctions separate from negotiations, South Korea has embarked on a conciliatory approach.
 
President Lee Jae Myung said at last year’s summit that he would serve as a “pace-maker” for peace on the Korean Peninsula, calling it an unavoidable choice grounded in security realities. For such efforts to succeed, close prior coordination between Seoul and Washington is indispensable. It should not be forgotten that discord between the allies serves neither peace on the peninsula nor South Korea’s own quest for a stronger self-reliant defense.


This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.