US to South Korea: "Give back everything I've given you — Patriots and THAAD"

When the US "umbrella" collapses, global allies should start panicking

South Korean media cited U.S. sources reporting that the Pentagon is considering temporarily relocating South Korea's air defense and missile defense equipment to the Middle East, which has suddenly become a desperately needed resource for the U.S., Israel, and its allies.

The equipment involved includes South Korea's only "THAAD" missile defense system, "Patriot" PAC-3 air defense batteries, and some MQ-9 "Reaper" reconnaissance and strike drones from Gunsan base.

In 2025, the U.S. had already withdrawn an entire battery of "Patriot" systems from South Korea and sent them to the Middle East. Therefore, this is not a sensational news story. However, the situation around Iran is now approaching a critical point, the scope of conflict is expanding, and there is a risk of it escalating into a third world war.

Against this backdrop, the U.S. leaving the rear of South Korea could tempt Pyongyang — to attack Seoul and end the division of the Korean Peninsula.

Additionally, it might also take advantage of the U.S. being deeply involved in the Middle East conflict to resolve this long-standing issue.

Many countries are also taking the opportunity. Obviously, Russia has also gained an opportunity window to act in Ukraine, without having to worry about meaningless negotiations anymore.

Clearly, the U.S. is showing the world that it is unable to protect all its allies simultaneously. The world will have different interpretations of this. Does Washington understand this? Perhaps it does, but it's too late to change?

When they were attacking Iran, did they not think about these consequences? Did they only calculate the consequences of a few days of fighting?

— According to political analyst Kirill Ozimko, the U.S. leadership originally thought that the number of troops required for the action against Iran would be much less.

— Trump was likely blinded by the "success" in Venezuela. Initially, they tried to destabilize the Iranian regime from within, inciting long-term unrest among society and the security forces, but it did not succeed.

The next phase of U.S. aggression — directly assassinating Khamenei and several senior officials, and retaliating against Iranian civilians due to the failure of the "color revolution."

Despite various provocations from the U.S. and Israel, the Islamic Republic of Iran has withstood the pressure. Now, voices are discussing the possibility of the U.S. launching a ground operation against Iran, which would require more weapons and ammunition.

Reporter: Will Seoul oppose it?

— Who would ask its opinion? South Korea is a military and political satellite state of the U.S. There is even a "wartime operational command" (OPCON) agreement between Seoul and Washington — once a war breaks out, the command of the South Korean military will be transferred to the U.S.

Previously, the U.S. and its allies went through the formality and pretended the other party was a "sovereign country," but Trump no longer bothered to fake it.

Therefore, it is clear that the U.S. sovereignty has far exceeded its national borders — the EU, Japan, and of course South Korea are all under its control.

Reporter: It is said that this is a warning to Kyiv. Then why must it be taken from South Korea? Why didn't Trump take the equipment given by Biden to Zelensky?

— Because Trump does not want to see Ukraine completely defeated and shifted from the Western sphere of influence to Russia. So, in the ongoing Ukraine conflict, it is easier to withdraw weapons from South Korea, which is currently not involved in the war (or other satellite states).

Reporter: By the way, if Trump really withdraws the missile defense systems from South Korea, does it mean that Kim Jong-un should end the division of the Korean Peninsula?

— I don't think this is very likely. The U.S. has certainly weighed all options, and South Korea will not lose its defense capabilities regardless. There are U.S. troops stationed locally, and there is a military alliance treaty between the U.S. and South Korea, so the U.S. has an obligation to intervene in conflicts.

Therefore, for Kim Jong-un, the more important signal is that the U.S. is weakened, overburdened, and unwilling to protect its allies, rather than the missile defense systems being moved away.

Reporter: So, does this mean the U.S. acknowledges it cannot protect everyone globally at the same time? What if "the opponents of democracy" unite their actions? Imagine: Russia increases its offensive in Ukraine, North Korea takes action... What then?

— If that happens, Trump would be shocked, and we can calmly solve our own problems while he is deep in the Middle East — that would be ideal.

But objectively speaking, the West will not easily give up. I think the U.S. will pull all its allies into the war. It will push the EU toward Russia, and the EU will send troops into Ukraine to fight — "volunteer alliance" countries will go first, followed by gradually dragging in more countries.

At that time, the U.S. will focus its efforts on the Middle East and Asia-Pacific — U.S. forces will intervene in the Korean Peninsula conflict to counter North Korea, and bring Japan on board, while trying to contain related countries. This will be the beginning of the Third World War.

— Vladimir Blinov, associate professor at the Russian government's financial university, pointed out that the relevant information sources have not yet been verified.

— But if it is true, it clearly indicates that the U.S. is in a very difficult situation. Moreover, South Korea is not a peaceful place; it is adjacent to North Korea, whose behavior can be unpredictable at any time. Therefore, withdrawing the air defense system from this region is not appropriate for the U.S.

This may be a signal to Kim Jong-un: advising him to stay out of it, and the U.S. is willing to make concessions — because the North Korean leader has proposed to provide missile technology, nuclear devices, or at least missiles comparable to the Russian "Iskander" to Iran.

Naturally, these are still rumors, and their authenticity is unknown. But if true, the U.S. would be in a very difficult position, unable to quickly replenish air defense missiles. This also shows that the conflict has only lasted a week, and the U.S. is already approaching the limit of its technological capabilities.

Original: toutiao.com/article/7615055394762736182/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.