After a” secret” Pentagon memo directed the unit to prioritize “deterring China’s seizure of Taiwan” and” strengthening homeland defense,” concerns are mounting in South Korea over the evolving role of the United States Forces Korea ( USFK) in other regions.
The 28, 500 British soldiers stationed in South Korea may change their main focus from deterring North Korea to fighting China, which, in Seoul’s opinion, poses a risk to putting strain on already fragile relations with Beijing.
A defined file titled” Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance” was distributed to the US Defense Department in mid-March, according to a report from the Washington Post on March 29.  ,
The report apparently outlines US President Donald Trump’s strategy for preparing for and possible winning a conflict with China while also standing up for US interests in the “near abroad” area, including Greenland and the Panama Canal.
Hegseth officially signed the document, which aims to rebuild America’s military engagements in the Indo-Pacific, shifting its focus apart from North Korean threats to China’s possible hostility against Taiwan.  ,
The change comes in spite of North Korea’s new actions, including the growth and launch of new long-range rockets capable of hitting the US mainland.  ,
The Pentagon” will believe risk in other theaters,” according to the report, which addresses personnel and resources shortages, therefore pressuring friends in Europe, the Middle East, and East Asia to assume greater punishment jobs against regional enemies like Russia, Iran, and North Korea.
This reflects a more expansive burden-sharing approach that has been at the center of Trump’s foreign legislation since his first word. As the nation restructures its defense strategy to be less dependent on the continuous existence of US troops, the move may raise South Korea’s defense spending.
The letter’s designation as “other cinemas” implies that the US is considering establishing a new base there and possibly deploying American troops out of South Korea.  ,  ,
” South Korea claims to respect USFK’s” Statement of Flexibility,” but all of that is vacant. Lee Sang-soo, a visiting research fellow at the Jeju Peace Institute, told Asia Times that” South Korea ] needs the USFK to be anchored on the peninsula.”
Seoul lacks the ability to have its neighbor without US soldiers because of North Korea’s nuclear threat, according to Lee. He claimed that because of this, South Korea’s safety depends on USFK’s existence on the island.
Redeployment dangers
The concept of expanding USFK’s influence in the Indo-Pacific is never novel.  ,
Former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and then-South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon, who later became the UN’s Secretary-General, first agreed on the concept of” Strategic Flexibility,” which would allow for possible USFK operations outside the Korean Peninsula.
However, the US has previously acknowledged Seoul’s needed for a persistent protection assurance, as demonstrated by the British soldiers stationed in South Korea since the Korean War.
Concerns are now growing that the Pentagon’s new instruction makes the redeployment of USFK a feasible chance.  ,
Kim Jong Un, a leader of North Korea, might be miscalculated as a result of the USFK’s exit, according to Kang Joon-young, a professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, in an appointment with Money Today.
Washington might even use a reduced USFK presence as leverage in negotiations over defense costs, with the US probably demanding more money from Seoul.
According to Lee, the researcher,” The US has persistently urged South Korea to add more to maintaining the USFK.” It may also use economic pressure, such as taxes, to get what it thinks is a good share of the soldiers stationed there.  ,
Lee’s worries are now a fact. Trump made his long-awaited record of “reciprocal tariffs” on April 2 to make amends to the “unfair” trade practices of nations that import to the US. A new 26 % tax was applied to South Korea.
During Trump’s shared address to Congress on March 5 that outlined his reasoning behind reciprocal taxes, South Korea received a particular shout-out.  ,
Trump referred to South Korea as a nation that badly treats the US in the address, saying that” South Korea’s regular price is four times higher… And we give so much support physically and in so many different methods to South Korea, but that’s what happens.”
Trump’s remarks, which associate military aid with tariffs, have sparked concerns in South Korea that the US might increase its tariffs even further when negotiations begin to discuss defense costs.
Trump is trying to use a method that ties security concerns to trade, according to Kim Dae-shik, floor spokesperson for South Korea’s ruling People’s Power Party.  ,
South Korea needs a strategy that maintains a principled stance while also preventing any linkages to trade negotiations, Kim added.
South Korea has already agreed to increase its defense annual contributions to US$ 1.3 billion by 2026, after which costs will increase annually based on South Korea’s Consumer Price Index.
Trump did make the suggestion during the campaign that he would demand from Seoul up to$ 10 billion annually.
Taiwan’s conundrum
According to Andrew Yeo, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, a Washington-based think tank, the Trump administration may also exert pressure on South Korea to play a more active role in Taiwan’s defense.
To be sure, US pressure on South Korea to clarify its position on Taiwan is not new. Due to its emphasis on North Korean threats and its economic reliance on Beijing, Seoul is reluctant to define its role in a Taiwan emergency involving Chinese aggression.  ,
However, according to Yeo, the Trump administration may pressure South Korea into “more concrete discussions related to Taiwan.”
In the event of a Taiwan Strait contingency, Yeo wrote in a recent report that” the United States may push South Koreans outside of their comfort zone to provide more clarity and pledge robust support for the US-South Korea alliance.”
Lee noted that if China invades Taiwan, the US may have to compel South Korea to commit high-risk commitments, such as allowing US forces to use South Korean air and naval bases, or assisting in logistics and reconnaissance operations.
Any overt South Korean commitments to Taiwan’s defense would unavoidably strain Beijing’s economic ties. With exports to China reaching$ 133 billion in 2024, up 6.6 % year over year, China is South Korea’s main trading partner.
In light of Trump’s new prohibitive tariffs, China’s market will become all the more significant because of South Korea’s export-oriented economy.
” This will be a challenging balancing act, but South Korea must align its position with the United Nations’. It must support Beijing’s” One China” strategy while performing its full role as a US ally, Lee continued. ” [South Korea ] needs to consider its economic ties to China.”
South Korea’s prior strategic alignment with the US has prompted China to react strongly.  ,
Beijing, for instance, imposed unofficial economic sanctions against South Korea that included a tourism ban, trade restrictions, and consumer boycotts after installing the THAAD missile defense system in 2016.
Geopolitical risk
Despite these worries, the South Korean government claims to still be confident in America’s commitment to deterring North Korea.  ,
The US Department of Defense has not provided any official confirmation or statement, the South Korean government said the day after the Washington Post’s report on the secret memo was made public.  ,
The Korean Peninsula’s main goal is still maintaining peace and stability, and that has not changed.
Seoul is under increasing pressure to align with new US priorities while balancing its own security and economic interests as Washington reshapes its Indo-Pacific strategy.  ,
In light of the ongoing political unrest and the looming economic effects of Trump’s new tariffs, whether South Korea can maintain its strategic autonomy or become more and more involved in great-power competition is still a mystery.
The decisions Seoul makes in the upcoming months could redefine its geopolitical standing and risks for years to come as Pyongyang closely observes and Beijing poises to retaliate.