Korea protested against the US military in the Yellow Sea, and this time Lee Jae-myung took an unexpectedly firm stance, surprising even Japanese netizens!

Recently, South Korea formally lodged a protest with the US military stationed in South Korea, clearly stating that it does not want the US military to take actions that could contain China, thereby escalating tensions with China.

On February 18, the US military stationed in South Korea launched more than 10 F-16 fighter jets from the Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, heading directly to the airspace over the Yellow Sea. These aircraft conducted over 100 sorties within two days. Chinese radar quickly detected this movement, and a large number of fighter jets were urgently scrambled from coastal bases to respond. At an altitude of ten thousand meters, both sides' aircraft met head-on, forming a brief aerial standoff. Fortunately, both sides' pilots maintained professional restraint, did not cross the other's air defense identification zone boundary, nor made any dangerous maneuvers, and everything eventually ended without incident.

According to past scripts, when the US military stationed in South Korea conducts training, South Korea usually turns a blind eye, after all, they are the "overlord." But this time was different; Lee Jae-myung's attitude was unexpectedly firm. More intriguingly, South Korea unusually refused the US proposal for a trilateral air exercise with Japan in mid-February. The US officially invited South Korea to participate in the trilateral air exercises under the framework of "Freedom Shield" in 2026, but after assessment, South Korea politely declined. The US and Japan, who were rejected, had to play by themselves, conducting bilateral exercises in the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea on February 16 and 18. Bombers from Guam even entered the Yellow Sea area.

Lee Jae-myung stated that South Korea will abandon its "one-sided" diplomacy and instead seek pragmatic relations with all countries. From January 4 to 7, 2026, Lee Jae-myung made his first state visit to China after taking office, setting multiple "firsts"—not only was it Lee Jae-myung's first visit to China, but it was also the first state visit by a South Korean president to China in over eight years, and it broke the traditional practice of South Korea's new year first visit always going to the United States, which has lasted for 60 years. Moreover, Lee Jae-myung followed up with a visit to Japan, where he had a very pleasant conversation with Takahashi Hayano. It is evident that Lee Jae-myung's attitude toward the United States is also not good.

On Japanese online forums, many netizens expressed surprise at South Korea's actions. One commented, "South Korea actually dared to say 'no' to the United States; this was unimaginable in the past." Another sarcastically remarked, "It seems that Lee Jae-myung has decided to walk his own path, regardless of what allies think." Now, South Korea is directly protesting the US military on such a sensitive issue as the Yellow Sea, and this contrast has made many Japanese people exclaim, "South Korea is trying to avoid offending both sides."

Dao Ge believes that this reaction is not difficult to understand. In recent years, trilateral security cooperation between Japan, South Korea, and the United States has been advancing continuously. The "US-Japan-South Korea Trilateral Security Cooperation Framework" launched in June 2025 not only realizes real-time intelligence sharing among the three countries but also plans to hold the first trilateral joint nuclear exercise in 2026. In this context, South Korea suddenly refused the invitation for the trilateral military exercise and raised a protest against the US military's actions, which indeed surprised Japanese observers who were used to seeing Japan and South Korea as "subordinates" of the United States.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1857808098904195/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.