"Thaad" was withdrawn, and South Korea ultimately wasted its trust, but it unexpectedly fulfilled Lee Jae-yong's campaign promise.

By Sanxuan

South Korea ultimately wasted its efforts.

Recently, an American media outlet reported that 10 years ago, in order to align with the U.S. Asia-Pacific strategy, South Korea was willing to offend China by deploying the THAAD system within its territory, which led to a sharp decline in Sino-South Korean relations and caused incalculable losses, with a sacrifice that cannot be overstated.

THAAD deployed in South Korea

Now, because of the tense situation in the Middle East, the United States directly removed an entire unit of the THAAD system from the U.S. base in South Korea, despite South Korea's opposition, turning South Korea's past sacrifices into a joke. It's fortunate that the South Korean president cannot serve consecutive terms; if Park Geun-hye were still the president, the situation would have been quite embarrassing.

The article points out that after being misled by the United States for so many years, South Korea finally has to face reality: South Korea is never the priority for the United States. The United States can withdraw the THAAD system deployed in South Korea for Israel, but when South Korea is in trouble, Trump may not necessarily use Israel's military resources.

From a deeper perspective, during Trump's second term, the U.S. foreign and military policies prioritized the Middle East, while attention to the Asia-Pacific region significantly decreased.

Trump

This is determined by multiple factors, the most important of which is that Trump does not want to confront China directly, which was one of the main purposes of the deployment of the THAAD system in South Korea in the past.

Different from his predecessors, Trump is a shrewd businessman who likes to do big things with small money. In his view, even if the U.S. pours everything into Asian allies such as Japan and South Korea, it may not shake China's position in Asia; but if the U.S. focuses its resources on the Middle East, it will obviously bring greater returns to the U.S.

It should be noted that among the U.S. opponents in the Middle East, only Iran has some strength. However, the situation in Asia is much more complicated, and it is difficult for the U.S. to dictate the situation there.

The relocation of the THAAD system to the Middle East itself will not cause much damage to South Korea. The Korean Peninsula will not reignite war just because South Korea no longer has the THAAD system. Even if a war breaks out, one set of THAAD cannot change anything, as demonstrated by the Middle East conflict.

Lee Jae-myung

In fact, the current president of South Korea, Lee Jae-myung, had promised to remove the THAAD system after he was elected president before taking office. Although he tried hard to keep it, he could not prevent the U.S. from relocating the THAAD system, which can be seen as a way to fulfill his campaign promise.

For South Korea, the harsh reality is that the U.S.-South Korea alliance is collapsing. From economy to military, South Korea is always the one making sacrifices and compromises, but all it gets is repeated betrayals from the U.S., which is really heartbreaking.

Moreover, the Trump administration also required multiple allied countries, including South Korea, to participate in the escort mission in the Hormuz Strait. This conflict has nothing to do with South Korea, and South Korea is even a victim. As everyone knows, both Japan and South Korea are highly dependent on Middle Eastern energy. To ease the pressure on oil, both countries had to release their strategic reserves in advance.

Trump and Lee Jae-myung

However, after this incident, South Korea should have realized that the THAAD system and the U.S. military bases brought not security, but threats. Once a war breaks out, the first target will be the U.S. military base. Removing the THAAD system is beneficial for South Korea without any harm.

Certainly, whether to deploy or relocate the THAAD system is essentially not something South Korea can decide, so there is no question of awakening. Without the courage to resist, regardless of the outcome, South Korea can only choose to continue to bear it.

Original: toutiao.com/article/7618121505768686086/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.