South Korea has much better equipped and modern military than North Korea. I feel confident they can deter North Korea if some US troops were deployed off the peninsula:
Concerns are mounting in South Korea over a potential shift in the role of the 28,500 US troops stationed here amid evolving nuclear and missile threats from North Korea.
Such worries have existed for decades, but have been exacerbated following US President Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January, experts noted. The possibility of the second Trump administration diverting some of the USFK resources to help defend Taiwan against threats from China has fed worries that it would leave the South more vulnerable to the North’s provocations, they added.
“There are growing concerns over the potential scenario that Washington would leverage part of the US Forces stationed on the Korean Peninsula for broader regional security roles rather than limiting their role to deterring the North,” Yu Ji-hoon, director of external cooperation at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, said via phone.
The allies have repeatedly stressed that the primary role of United States Forces Korea is to contribute to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.
You can read more at the link, but the concept of strategic flexibility for USFK is not a new concept and dates back to the early 2000’s. Additionally an entire heavy brigade was deployed from Korea to Iraq back in 2004 showing that units have deployed off the peninsula before.
Any bets on if there will be violent riots by anti-Yoon leftists this weekend if Yoon is reinstated or by pro-Yoon protesters if the impeachment is upheld?:
The Constitutional Court said it will deliver its ruling on President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment at 11 a.m. Friday, raising hopes of an end to the political turmoil that has gripped the nation since his short-lived imposition of martial law in December.
The verdict will be delivered from the court and live broadcasts will be allowed, along with the attendance of members of the public, the court said in a notice to the press Tuesday.
The ruling will come nearly four months after Yoon was impeached by the National Assembly on charges of violating the Constitution and laws through his brief imposition of martial law on Dec. 3.
You can read more at the link.
It will not only be South Korean stocks dipping this week, but likely most of the world as well:
South Korean stocks fell 3 percent to a near two-month low Monday ahead of U.S. reciprocal tariffs set to be announced later this week amid the removal of a short selling ban. The local currency sharply fell against the U.S. dollar.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) dropped 76.86 points to close at 2,481.12, marking the lowest closing since Feb. 3, when it finished at 2,453.95.
Trade volume was slim at 385.5 million shares worth 8.1 trillion won (US$5.5 billion), with losers sharply outnumbering winners 824 to 87.
Foreigners sold a net 1.5 trillion won worth of stocks, while institutions and individuals purchased a net 666.9 billion won and 789.9 billion won, respectively.
Analysts said investors were concerned that U.S. President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariffs, slated for Wednesday (U.S. time), would trigger a global trade war. He also confirmed 25 percent tariffs on all imported cars set to take effect Thursday.
You can read more at the link.
It the coming years USFJ is going to turn into a warfighting headquarters much like USFK in Korea:
U.S. Forces Japan has begun reorganizing into a “warfighting headquarters,” U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Sunday during his first trip to the Indo-Pacific since taking office. Hegseth that day discussed restructuring USFJ amid regional security challenges with Japanese Minister of Defense Gen Nakatani at Camp Ichigaya, the Ministry of Defense headquarters in central Tokyo.
The Defense Department has begun the first phase of upgrading USFJ into a joint force command better equipped to coordinate with its Japanese counterpart, Hegseth told reporters after the meeting. “This also means reorganizing U.S. Forces Japan into a warfighting headquarters, increasing its staff and giving its commander the authorities needed to accomplish new missions,” he said
You can read more at the link, but a difference I see between the future USFJ and USFK is that the USFK commander has operational control of US and ROK forces during a conflict. The future USFJ will instead coordinate with Japanese Joint opeational command during conflict.
It appears that the horrible wildfires in South Korea are finally contained:
A massive wildfire that began in Sancheong County and swept through nearby regions in South Gyeongsang Province has been fully contained, authorities said Sunday.
The main fires were under control as of 1 p.m. Sunday, nearly 10 days after they first broke out March 21, according to forestry officials.
The wildfire has scorched an estimated 1,858 hectares of woodland, equivalent to around 2,600 football fields.
At least 30 people have died from the recent wave of nationwide wildfires, including 26 reported in North Gyeongsang Province.
Here is what started the fire Gyeongsangbuk-do:
Meanwhile, police authorities said they have booked a man suspected of starting the massive wildfires in North Gyeongsang Province.
The 56-year-old man is accused of causing the fire at around 11:25 a.m. on March 22 while performing an ancestral rite at a family grave on a hill in Uiseong County, North Gyeongsang Province.
The fire then spread rapidly to nearby Andong, Cheongsong, Yeongyang and Yeongdeok for days due to gusty winds amid dry conditions.
You can read more at the link, but investigators are still trying to determine who started the other wildfires.
