https://www.scmp.com/rss/522228/feed The latest news and top stories on US Forces Korea. A prominent South Korea based military command, US Forces Korea (USFK) is dedicated to deterring aggression and defending the Republic of Korea, maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. Its main areas of focus include coordinating US component commands, training forces and supporting the US-ROK alliance. Headquartered at Camp Humphreys, Pyeongtaek, USFK is a sub-unified command of US Indo-Pacific Command, recognised as a... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi Washington’s redeployment of elements of its missile defence systems from South Korea to the Middle East could be read by China as a short-term capability gap in the region, analysts said. They said the move also underlined US flexibility to move its assets across theatres of operation. A Washington Post report on Tuesday citing two unnamed US government officials said that the United States had been moving parts of its Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) anti-missile system stationed in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3346575/us-shifting-thaad-south-korea-mideast-what-does-mean-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3346575/us-shifting-thaad-south-korea-mideast-what-does-mean-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Mar 2026 14:00:09 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press North Korea on Saturday fired about 10 ballistic missiles towards the eastern sea, South Korea’s military said, staging its own show of force as the rival South conducts a joint military exercise with the United States. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles were fired from an area near the North Korean capital of Pyongyang, but did not immediately say how far they flew. Japan’s Defence Ministry said the weapons landed in waters outside the country’s exclusive economic zone. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3346587/north-korea-fires-10-ballistic-missiles-during-us-south-korea-military-drills?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3346587/north-korea-fires-10-ballistic-missiles-during-us-south-korea-military-drills?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Mar 2026 07:11:31 +0000 Alyssa Chen Alyssa Chen Beijing could gain a strategic edge in the Taiwan Strait as US military assets are diverted to the Middle East, even though it remains committed to peaceful reunification, a prominent mainland expert on the Taiwan issue said on Tuesday. Li Yihu, dean of the Taiwan Research Institute at Peking University and a deputy to China’s National People’s Congress, said Washington’s involvement in multiple conflicts, including the ongoing war in Iran, was straining its armed forces and diminishing its... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3346239/china-stands-gain-us-moving-military-assets-iran-war-cross-strait-adviser?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3346239/china-stands-gain-us-moving-military-assets-iran-war-cross-strait-adviser?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Mar 2026 11:00:30 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has bluntly said that Seoul cannot prevent the United States from redeploying military assets from the peninsula, raising concerns about the shifting role of American forces stationed in the country. Analysts say the episode exposes a stark reality for Seoul: US Forces Korea (USFK) are increasingly being used for missions beyond deterring North Korea as Washington pushes for greater “strategic flexibility” for its troops overseas. Lee made the remarks after... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3346144/south-korea-grapples-clear-reality-us-forces-shifting-role-peninsula?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3346144/south-korea-grapples-clear-reality-us-forces-shifting-role-peninsula?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Mar 2026 00:00:10 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The United States began a large military exercise with South Korea involving thousands of troops Monday while also waging an escalating war in the Middle East. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff has said about 18,000 Korean troops would take part in Freedom Shield, which runs through March 19. US Forces Korea has not confirmed the number of American troops participating in the training in South Korea. The allies’ combined exercise comes amid South Korean media speculation that Washington is... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3345923/us-begins-large-military-exercise-south-korea-while-attacking-iran?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3345923/us-begins-large-military-exercise-south-korea-while-attacking-iran?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Mar 2026 03:45:34 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow Reports that Washington could redirect some US military assets from South Korea to the Middle East have stirred unease in Seoul, reviving concerns that a crisis elsewhere could compromise deterrence on the Korean peninsula. Analysts said a redeployment of missile-defence systems could leave South Korea feeling vulnerable to North Korean “adventurism” and signal Washington’s “shifting priorities and lack of seriousness” towards its Indo-Pacific allies. Citing a South Korean government official,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3345678/south-korea-uneasy-us-weighs-moving-air-defences-middle-east?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3345678/south-korea-uneasy-us-weighs-moving-air-defences-middle-east?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Mar 2026 05:37:06 +0000 Dewey Sim Dewey Sim South Korea last week protested to the US over a rare stand-off between American and Chinese fighter jets in the Yellow Sea, according to media reports. Analysts said the move signalled Seoul was reluctant to see US forces stationed in South Korea more actively confront Beijing. According to a Yonhap News Agency report on Saturday citing unnamed military sources, South Korean Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back lodged a complaint with General Xavier Brunson, commander of US Forces Korea (USFK),... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3344369/seouls-protest-over-stand-seen-reluctance-let-us-forces-korea-confront-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3344369/seouls-protest-over-stand-seen-reluctance-let-us-forces-korea-confront-china?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Feb 2026 02:00:15 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong Every spring, South Korea and the United States stage one of their largest combined military exercises in a show of force that North Korea invariably denounces as a rehearsal for war. This year, Seoul wants to dial them back, wagering that smaller drills could open a diplomatic door that has been shut since 2019. A joint press briefing on the Freedom Shield exercise that had been scheduled for Wednesday has been postponed amid differences over the scope of the drills, according to Yonhap news... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3344312/freedom-shield-rift-south-korea-us-odds-over-war-games-scale?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3344312/freedom-shield-rift-south-korea-us-odds-over-war-games-scale?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Feb 2026 00:00:08 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi The Pentagon has signalled a shift for US forces in South Korea, pushing them to expand their role beyond North Korea to help deter Beijing in the Taiwan Strait and elsewhere in the region, according to experts. The analysis follows a visit to South Korea this week by Elbridge Colby, the US undersecretary of defence for policy and a key architect of the Pentagon’s National Defence Strategy. In his first trip outside the United States since taking office in April, Colby hinted at a possible... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3341991/pentagon-eyes-expanded-role-south-korea-based-us-forces-help-deter-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3341991/pentagon-eyes-expanded-role-south-korea-based-us-forces-help-deter-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Feb 2026 14:00:14 +0000 Reuters Reuters The Pentagon foresees a “more limited” role in deterring North Korea, with South Korea taking primary responsibility for the task, a Pentagon policy document released on Friday said, a move likely to raise concern in Seoul. South Korea hosts about 28,500 US troops in combined defence against North Korea’s military threat and Seoul has raised its defence budget by 7.5 per cent for this year. “South Korea is capable of taking primary responsibility for deterring North Korea with critical but more... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3341082/pentagon-plans-more-limited-north-korean-role-shifts-defence-burden-south?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3341082/pentagon-plans-more-limited-north-korean-role-shifts-defence-burden-south?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Jan 2026 02:20:43 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi As the new year unfolds, China finds itself grappling with strategic pressures fuelled by two US treaty allies at its doorstep – Japan and South Korea. In the second of a two-part series, Seong Hyeon Choi looks at how competing pressures in the Korean peninsula may complicate China’s security calculus. Read the first part here. In 2025, there was a major shift in China’s security environment relating to the Korean peninsula, as the North grew more open in its push for nuclear weapons and the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3338853/korean-peninsula-arms-race-heating-how-will-china-react-2026?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3338853/korean-peninsula-arms-race-heating-how-will-china-react-2026?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Jan 2026 22:00:09 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo Tom Barrack, the United States special envoy for Syria, recently made waves at an international forum in Doha, Qatar, by suggesting that “benevolent monarchies” might be the most effective form of government for the Middle East. He also suggested that Israel was not a democracy. His remarks were probably welcomed in some parts of the region, but probably less well received by the US and other Western media, which all but consider themselves guardians of proper world opinion. Barrack was just... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3335998/would-world-be-safer-if-military-were-charge-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3335998/would-world-be-safer-if-military-were-charge-us?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Dec 2025 12:30:07 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong Washington’s approval for South Korea to build nuclear-powered submarines has become a turning point in the alliance, analysts say, one that is already pushing Seoul towards a more explicit role in the United States’ broader Indo-Pacific strategy to counter China. As the US military reframes the region around a “strategic triangle” linking South Korea, Japan and the Philippines, observers say Washington has begun naming its price for its endorsement of the submarine project – pressing Seoul to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3333124/nuclear-submarines-deal-south-korea-falling-too-far-us-indo-pacific-embrace?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3333124/nuclear-submarines-deal-south-korea-falling-too-far-us-indo-pacific-embrace?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Nov 2025 00:00:24 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi The Philippines is reportedly looking to acquire an anti-ship ballistic missile developed by South Korean defence giant Hanwha Aerospace. Analysts said such a move would indicate Seoul’s lean towards Washington’s Indo-Pacific policies and possible rising profile in regional defence cooperation with fellow US allies. The Philippines’ potential purchase of the South Korean system arises at a time when China imposed sanctions on the Korean shipbuilding sector. According to a report on Monday by the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3329106/south-korean-defence-giant-hit-chinese-sanctions-offers-anti-ship-missile-manila?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3329106/south-korean-defence-giant-hit-chinese-sanctions-offers-anti-ship-missile-manila?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Oct 2025 09:00:09 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi The US has deployed a new air defence system in South Korea – dubbed America’s Iron Dome – in what analysts see as an effort by Washington to counter Chinese or North Korean drone operations in the event of a conflict in the region. On Thursday, the Pentagon’s Defence Visual Information Distribution Service uploaded photos of US Army Chief of Staff General Randy George’s visit to South Korea last Monday for an engagement with US Forces Korea (USFK) soldiers and meetings with South Korean... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3327190/south-koreas-new-us-iron-dome-air-defence-system-seen-reply-china-north-korea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3327190/south-koreas-new-us-iron-dome-air-defence-system-seen-reply-china-north-korea?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Sep 2025 04:00:08 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi Seoul may be reluctant to support the White House’s call for South Korea-based US troops to shift their focus from the North to a Taiwan conflict but it might be forced to get behind the strategy, according to analysts. On his way to meet his US counterpart in Washington on Sunday, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said it would be difficult to agree to an American demand for US Forces Korea (USFK) to have “strategic flexibility”. “This is not an issue we can easily agree with,” said Lee, who... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3323355/seoul-reluctant-trumps-push-more-flexible-us-forces-korea-taiwan-contingency?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3323355/seoul-reluctant-trumps-push-more-flexible-us-forces-korea-taiwan-contingency?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Aug 2025 09:32:15 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong South Korean President Lee Jae-myung emerged heavily burdened with an unexpected challenge from his high-stakes first meeting with US President Donald Trump, whose penchant for expansionism and unconventional diplomacy has kept allies on edge, analysts say. Lee’s spokeswoman, Kang Yu-jung, sought to frame the summit positively, describing it as a “rapport-building” get-together and declaring: “The summit went so well that there was no need for a joint statement.” Yet the absence of a statement... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3323144/after-trump-talk-south-koreas-lee-has-new-burden-us-wants-military-base-land?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3323144/after-trump-talk-south-koreas-lee-has-new-burden-us-wants-military-base-land?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Aug 2025 03:46:07 +0000 Gabriela Bernal Gabriela Bernal South Korea’s newly elected president, Lee Jae-myung, has been increasingly vocal about resuming exchanges with North Korea. This month alone, he has advocated for peaceful coexistence with the North, the removal of loudspeakers from the demilitarised zone (DMZ), the restoration of various inter-Korean agreements and the establishment of a nuclear-free Korean peninsula. Despite Lee’s diplomatic overtures, Pyongyang’s response has remained frosty. After years of hardline North Korea policy under... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3322503/why-military-independence-us-could-be-seouls-best-chance-peace?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3322503/why-military-independence-us-could-be-seouls-best-chance-peace?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Aug 2025 21:30:07 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong South Korean President Lee Jae-myung is set to meet US President Donald Trump for the first time next week, seeking to dispel doubts in Washington about his progressive government’s commitment to strengthening their military alliance. The meeting, scheduled for Monday in Washington, comes with President Lee under pressure to demonstrate unwavering support for the US-South Korea alliance, even as his administration faces scepticism in Washington about its long-term strategic intentions. “The... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3322504/trump-lee-summit-what-can-turtle-ship-do-us-south-korea-alliance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3322504/trump-lee-summit-what-can-turtle-ship-do-us-south-korea-alliance?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Aug 2025 00:00:11 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press South Korea and the United States began their annual large-scale joint military exercise on Monday to better cope with threats from nuclear-armed North Korea, which has warned the drills would deepen regional tensions and vowed to respond to “any provocation” against its territory. The 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield – the second of two large-scale exercises held annually in South Korea, after another set in March – will involve 21,000 soldiers, including 18,000 South Koreans, in computer-simulated... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3322181/south-korea-us-kick-ulchi-freedom-shield-drills-21000-troops?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3322181/south-korea-us-kick-ulchi-freedom-shield-drills-21000-troops?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Aug 2025 04:00:26 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong The United States has urged South Korea to “modernise” their bilateral military alliance and ensure a timely response to threats from Pyongyang and beyond the peninsula, in comments seen as pressuring Seoul to shoulder a greater security burden. US Forces Korea (USFK) Commander General Xavier Brunson, in his first press conference with local reporters since taking command in December, said modernising the bilateral military alliance was essential to keep it “ready, relevant and able” to respond... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3321635/us-pressures-south-korea-redefine-alliance-pivot-away-north-korea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3321635/us-pressures-south-korea-redefine-alliance-pivot-away-north-korea?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Aug 2025 00:00:12 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong The United States is expected to pile pressure on South Korea for increased burden-sharing of defence costs in a coming summit between the leaders of both countries, with Seoul’s role in a potential Taiwan conflict set to be excluded from the agenda. The cautious stance on China also aligns with the office of South Korean President Lee Jae-myung stressing the importance of fostering ties and engagement, as it downplays comments by his foreign minister labelling Beijing a “problem”. Discussions... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3321034/south-koreas-role-potential-taiwan-conflict-not-agenda-trump-lee-summit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3321034/south-koreas-role-potential-taiwan-conflict-not-agenda-trump-lee-summit?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Aug 2025 03:51:05 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong The Korean peninsula has once again become a fulcrum of global anxiety, as South Korea grapples with intensifying pressure from its US ally to take sides in Washington’s deepening rivalry with China, all while North Korea rattles its sabres on Seoul’s doorstep. Analysts warn that Seoul must tread this delicate geopolitical tightrope with unequalled agility to avoid being drawn into a major-power confrontation. “As tensions escalate between superpowers, South Korea must retain strategic... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3320497/shrimp-among-whales-south-korea-faces-us-vs-china-dilemma?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3320497/shrimp-among-whales-south-korea-faces-us-vs-china-dilemma?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Aug 2025 00:00:15 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong America’s highest-ranking military officer has called for closer trilateral defence ties with South Korea and Japan in response to what he described as an “unprecedented” military build-up by North Korea and China. The remarks by General Dan Caine, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, come amid growing pressure on Seoul to shoulder more of the cost of hosting 28,500 US troops and to support their expanded role beyond the Korean peninsula – a move that could test South Korea’s willingness to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3317928/us-calls-closer-south-korea-japan-defence-ties-amid-unprecedented-china-north-threat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3317928/us-calls-closer-south-korea-japan-defence-ties-amid-unprecedented-china-north-threat?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Jul 2025 02:00:21 +0000