Controversy Over WP Columnist's Article Saying "Without US Support, Korea Could Face Afghanistan's Fate"

Song Young-gil "Stirring Anxiety Without Basis on False Facts"

Photo by Mark Thissen, captured from Twitter.

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Amid the collapse of the Afghan government following the withdrawal of U.S. troops and the Taliban's advance, a conservative American commentator has sparked controversy by claiming that "South Korea would also collapse without U.S. assistance."

Mark Thiessen, former speechwriter for U.S. President George W. Bush and a columnist for The Washington Post (WP), tweeted on the 16th (local time), "If South Korea were under such continuous attacks, it would have collapsed quickly without U.S. help." He added, "There are virtually no allies capable of defending themselves without the U.S. military."

Thiessen also stated, "If the U.S. military had withdrawn from the Korean Peninsula after the Korean War, the peninsula would have rapidly unified under North Korean control," and "The reason our troops are still there (in South Korea) is because they are still needed to deter North Korea and prevent that outcome."

In response, netizens posted rebuttal comments such as, "South Korea has a modern and highly trained military. It cannot even be compared to Afghanistan," "They are underestimating South Korea's military power," and "The South Korean military is strong and does not need us (the U.S. military)."

Thiessen then criticized, "South Korea cannot defend itself without U.S. help, which is why we are still there," and asked, "If they can defend themselves, why are we there? Should we then withdraw (U.S. troops) from Japan and South Korea?"

On the 16th (local time), at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, as a U.S. military C-17 transport aircraft moved along the runway to take off, hundreds of Afghan civilians who could not board were running alongside the transport plane. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Thiessen's remarks have also sparked controversy within political circles. On the 18th, Song Young-gil, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, referred to the tweet on his Facebook, saying, "He compared the Afghan situation to claim that if U.S. troops withdraw from South Korea, the country would end up like Afghanistan. Comparing our country, which has the world's 6th largest military and is among the top 10 trading nations, to present-day Afghanistan is slander."

He criticized Mark Thiessen, saying, "He is the type who spreads 'slander' that South Korea will collapse if U.S. troops withdraw," and added, "His facts are incorrect and he stirs up anxiety without any basis."

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