Two US bases in southern Spain have been confirmed as sites to receive Afghans who worked with the US military, the Spanish government said on Sunday.

The evacuees would be screened and vetted at the military bases before being allowed to move to the US, The Wall Street Journal reported on the weekend. The US is considering using bases in South Korea and Japan as other sites to process evacuees, along with bases in Germany, Kosovo, Bahrain and Italy, the Journal reported.

The US Department of Defence has been handling the evacuation of Afghan allies. US Forces Korea (USFK) spokesman Colonel Lee Peters said that if tasked with providing assistance, USFK would work with the Department of State, Department of Defence and the South Korean government while upholding its “obligation to provide and maintain a robust combined defence posture”.

Song Young-gil, leader of South Korea’s ruling Democratic Party (DP), on Sunday said the US should consider other countries before bringing Afghan evacuees to South Korea.

“It has not been discussed with our government, and I don’t think it’s realistic,” Song told reporters. “I doubt whether it’s appropriate. Considering the logistical problem, wouldn’t it be better for them to go to nearby countries?”

However, Song said South Korea should accept about 400 Afghans who worked with Koreans on various projects, including building hospitals and schools.

The conservative People Power Party (PPP), which is South Korea’s main opposition, supported close cooperation with the US and said the government should consider receiving evacuees “on humanitarian grounds”.

“However, when it comes to staying long-term in Korea beyond temporary housing, we have to be very careful,” PPP spokeswoman Her Eun-a said.

Jang Hye-young, a lawmaker from the progressive Justice Party, said South Korea should allow entry to pregnant women from Afghanistan, as well as their children and families.

The US withdrawal from Afghanistan has also led to speculation in South Korea about the strength of the US commitment to its allies, particularly South Korea and Taiwan.

The US holds operational control – or “opcon” – over hundreds of thousands of South Korean troops in the event of war. South Korean President Moon Jae-in has made obtaining operational control a major goal of his administration.

Song last week wrote on Facebook that events in Afghanistan highlighted the need for South Korea to end this arrangement and regain operational control of its forces.

“We have to take the Afghanistan crisis as a chance to strengthen self-defence capability,” Song wrote.

The close security relationship between South Korea and the US is designed to deter North Korean aggression and ultimately persuade Pyongyang to denuclearise.

Conservative South Korean lawmaker Thae Yong-ho, who defected from the North where he worked as a diplomat, last week said Seoul should be wary of relying so heavily on the US.

“The lesson for us from the Afghan crisis is that there are no permanent enemies or permanent allies in this world. There is only national interest,” Thae wrote on Facebook.

Accordingly, he suggested Seoul pursue either a Nato-style nuclear sharing arrangement or restore US tactical nuclear weapons. If North Korea does not denuclearise by 2027, Thae said: “[Seoul] should present a strategic timetable to the United States and China and announce that we will inevitably pursue nuclear development.”

Yoon Duk-min, a former professor at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, recalled the US withdrawal from South Korea in 1949, which precipitated the start of the Korean war in 1950, although he resisted a direct comparison with Afghanistan.

“There always exists the possibility of US troops withdrawing from South Korea, but you can’t draw parallels between South Korea and Afghanistan, especially because of South Korea’s geopolitical importance for the US,” Yoon said.

“Unless South Korea wants the US troops out, they will stay on. At the same time, it is absolutely necessary for South Korea, surrounded by powerful countries such as Russia, China and Japan, to maintain a strong military alliance with the US although it also needs military strength and the will to defend itself.”

“The United States does not have hostile intent toward [North Korea],” Kim told reporters after meeting Noh Kyu-duk, his South Korean counterpart. “The ongoing [US-South Korea] combined military exercises are long-standing, routine and purely defensive in nature and support the security of both our countries.”

Kim on Sunday met South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong to discuss resumption of the peace process on the Korean peninsula.

Biden’s administration has said it will explore diplomacy to achieve North Korean denuclearisation, but has shown no willingness to ease sanctions. The US supports efforts to improve ties between the two Koreas and remains open to direct talks with North Korea, Kim said.

“I continue to stand ready to meet with my North Korean counterparts anywhere at any time,” Kim said.

Additional reporting by the Reuters