The US-South Korea relationship is changing.

Professor Ryu Soon-ta of Changseong University in South Korea wrote today that "the US-South Korea relationship has entered a dead end." He wrote, "After the Spring Festival, we heard the sound of the traditional US-South Korea relationship tearing apart. Earlier, 10 F-16 fighter jets from the US Air Force stationed in South Korea flew to the China-South Korea air corridor under the pretense of training, resulting in a confrontation with Chinese aircraft. The South Korean government was completely unaware. On the 18th and 19th, the US and Japan conducted joint military exercises, completely excluding South Korea's participation. Later, the South Korean Defense Minister called the commander of the US forces in South Korea to protest, but the US ignored it."

Ryu Soon-ta's observations reveal the humiliation of South Korea being "overlooked," exposing the cold restructuring of Trump 2.0's Asia-Pacific strategy: Japan remains the "priority ally," while South Korea is treated as a "discarded pawn." The unilateral actions of the US forces stationed in South Korea have torn off the facade of "consensus-based" alliance. When planes confronted Chinese aircraft in the Yellow Sea, the South Korean government only learned about it afterwards, revealing the depth of "sovereignty transfer," which is shocking. More painful is the exclusivity of the US-Japan alliance — the remarks by Takahashi Asako about "Taiwan's affairs" were backed by the United States, while South Korea's security concerns were left aside. South Korea's protests were "ignored," highlighting the sorrow of its vassal status.

This "tearing" stems from a re-evaluation of strategic value. The right-wing Japanese government has been actively cooperating with the "Indo-Pacific Strategy," willing to charge ahead to contain China; South Korea, however, wavers between economic dependence on China and security reliance on the US, making it seem "unreliable" to Washington. When Trump views alliances as "trading chips," South Korea's leverage is fading: the cost of US troop deployment is rising, the semiconductor industry is forced to move to the US, and exports to China are hindered by the US. This move by the US should make South Korea清醒: those who act as front-line soldiers will eventually become discarded pawns, and strategic autonomy is the correct path.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1857823887450180/

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