U.S. Sees Korea as Potential Key To Supporting Taiwan

It looks like the United States Forces Korea (USFK) are getting a new mission without being relieved of any of their old responsibilities. On January 4, Nikkei Asia reported comments by the USFK commander that the force will begin preparations to possibly deploy in the event of a crisis over Taiwan in addition to their efforts to deter a North Korean invasion.

This may strengthen Washington’s efforts to deter China, but at a cost, since Seoul is struggling to balance its regional ties between Beijing and Tokyo following rising tensions over North Korea and Taiwan.

U.S. Forces Aim To Deter Taiwan Crisis

The announcement from USFK, which came without significant details, indicates a possible broadening of its mission from deterring North Korean aggression to responding to a crisis over Taiwan. “Korea is not simply responding to threats on the peninsula,” General Xavier T. Brunson, commander of USFK, said on December 29. In addition to calling for the South Korean military to expand the scope of its activities more proactively, he also said that U.S. forces should adopt a position of “strategic flexibility,” opening the possibility of operating as a deterrent to China’s Northern Theater Command from becoming involved in any blockade scenario against Taiwan.

General Brunson’s comments also follow the release of the Trump administration’s National Security Strategy, which while omitting North Korea’s nuclear program for the first time in decades, focuses on defending the First Island Chain, a string of islands that runs from the southernmost edge of the Korean Peninsula to Malaysia. The announcement also follows China’s expanded exercises around Taiwan, which included an unprecedented December 2024 exercise featuring Chinese forces operating in the East China Sea.

Seoul Tries To Avoid Ongoing Dispute Between Beijing and Tokyo

Brunson’s comments also came days before South Korean President Lee Jae Myung visited China for the first time on January 5. There he met with Chinese paramount leader Xi Jinping. Immediately prior to the meeting, North Korea reportedly test-launched a hypersonic missile. Any mention of the North was absent from Chinese official readouts of the meeting, despite South Korea calling for Chinese assistance to rein in Pyongyang.

The meeting also occurred against the backdrop of a dispute between Tokyo and Beijing over Taiwan. In its read-out of the meeting, China called on South Korea to “stand on the right side,” and recalled both countries’ fight against “Japanese militarism” during the Second World War. Beijing is running an ongoing propaganda campaign against Tokyo because of Japan’s reported willingness to intervene in a Taiwan crisis. While Lee reaffirmed South Korea’s long-standing commitment to its “One China Policy” ahead of the visit and has yet to publicly defend Japan, Seoul and Tokyo have previously committed to strengthening defense ties through regular trilateral exercises with the United States. Lee also visited Japan in August during his first foreign trip as president, an unprecedented diplomatic maneuver aimed at signaling Seoul’s renewed focus on strengthening ties with Tokyo.

Washington Should Support Strengthened Ties Between South Korea and Japan

While it remains unclear how the USFK will implement any possible changes to its posture, the United States must ensure that its forward-deployed forces on the Korean Peninsula can deter North Korea. That is particularly true as Pyongyang expands ties with both China and Russia. Washington should also closely coordinate with Seoul over its current force levels, particularly as Pyongyang continues to work to expand its nuclear arsenal and potentially gain new conventional military capabilities from Moscow.

The United States should also continue to strengthen diplomatic and defense ties between Tokyo and Seoul as a key part of its efforts to deter China, including joint defense planning, expanding trilateral exercises, and joint production of weapons systems and equipment.

Jack Burnham is a senior research analyst in the China Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). For more analysis from Jack and FDD, please subscribe HERE. Follow Jack on X @JackBurnham802. Follow FDD on X @FDD. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.