Vegan "US Forces Korea Contribute to US Security Interests in East Asia"

Steven Biegun, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State and Special Representative for North Korea Policy, is speaking in a series of meetings with Cho Se-young, First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Lee Do-hoon, Director General for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Seoul on the morning of the 8th. Photo by Joint Press Corps

Amid ongoing controversy in South Korea and the United States over rumors of a reduction in US Forces Korea (USFK), Steven Biegun, US Deputy Secretary of State, stated that the current scale of US forces stationed in Korea contributes to America's security interests in East Asia. However, while drawing a line against the reduction theory, he also made remarks that seemed to link it to defense cost-sharing negotiations, leaving some ambiguity.

On the 22nd (local time), Deputy Secretary Biegun appeared at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on "US Policy toward China" and said, "I believe that a significant (US military) presence in the region will strongly enhance US security interests in East Asia."

Earlier, on the 17th, the US Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that the US Department of Defense had presented options for reducing USFK to the White House in March, and since then, rumors of USFK reduction have heated up political circles in both South Korea and the US. Deputy Secretary Biegun's remarks on this day are interpreted as an effort to quell the controversy surrounding the USFK reduction rumors.

However, Deputy Secretary Biegun also made remarks that seemed to suggest linking the USFK reduction issue with the Special Measures Agreement (SMA) on defense cost-sharing between South Korea and the US, which is expected to cause subtle repercussions.

He said, "What we need to do with that alliance is to resolve issues related to defense cost-sharing and how we support the alliance budget," adding, "At the same time, we need to have strategic discussions to establish a sustainable foundation for the alliance over the next 75 years." This can be interpreted as meaning that, depending on the situation, the USFK reduction card could be used as leverage in SMA negotiations.

Meanwhile, the US Congress has also strengthened the conditions for reducing USFK. On the 21st (local time), the US House of Representatives held a plenary session and passed the National Defense Authorization Act worth about $740 billion with 295 votes in favor and 125 against. The act includes provisions that restrict the US President from reducing the size of USFK without congressional consent. It prohibits the use of funds necessary to reduce USFK below the current level of 28,500 personnel.

Additionally, the bill requires the administration to demonstrate to Congress that any reduction of USFK "aligns with US national security interests, does not significantly undermine the security of regional allies, and has been properly discussed with allies including South Korea and Japan."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.