Lee affirms USFK asset shift won't undermine deterrence against North Korea
Published: 10 Mar. 2026, 13:11
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- YOON SO-YEON
- [email protected]
![President Lee Jae Myung speaks at a Cabinet meeting held at the Blue House in central Seoul on March 10. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/03/10/2bc657ee-2efa-4ff5-ab56-189f38569a43.jpg)
President Lee Jae Myung speaks at a Cabinet meeting held at the Blue House in central Seoul on March 10. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
President Lee Jae Myung stated that South Korea's deterrence posture against North Korea will not become "disabled" even if U.S. military assets are relocated from the peninsula to elsewhere amid speculations that the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) may be shipping out its weapons in light of the Middle Eastern conflicts.
Citing media reports that the USFK might have recently shipped out some weapons, including an antimissile defense system, Lee told a Cabinet meeting, "If you ask if our deterrence strategy against North Korea is severely disabled [because of a possible shift of such assets], I can say absolutely not."
The remarks by Lee did not explicitly comment on the possible movement or repositioning of USFK's military assets. However, South Korea has expressed its opposition against USFK's possible shift of its military assets, but it is a "stark reality" that South Korea's opinions would not be fully accepted, Lee said.
"Our government expects the USFK to fully contribute to stability and peace on the Korean Peninsula, which I believe it has done so far," Lee said. "Depending on how the situation unfolds, however, the USFK may dispatch some air defense systems abroad in accordance with its own military needs. While we have expressed opposition, the reality is that we cannot fully push through our position."
Lee noted that South Korea's military spending ranks among the world's five largest and is equivalent to about 1.4 times North Korea's GDP, highlighting what he described as a "significant gap" in military capabilities between the two Koreas.
He stressed that South Korea should take a leading role in its own defense to prepare for worst-case scenarios amid a shifting international security landscape.
![The Patriot missile defense system is deployed at the U.S. Army base Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi. [YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/03/10/e23b0bfb-89f0-4285-b9d1-234bf4a822bb.jpg)
The Patriot missile defense system is deployed at the U.S. Army base Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi. [YONHAP]
"Just as we must routinely prepare for war even if the possibility is slim, there may come times when external support disappears due to changes in the international order. Even in such cases, we must fully build up our self-reliant defense capabilities so that we can defend ourselves on our own," he said.
Tuesday's comment came after news outlets reported that U.S. military transport aircraft have been spotted arriving at and departing from a U.S. air base in Korea since earlier this month.
According to real-time flight tracking website Flightradar24, several C-5 and C-17 U.S. transport aircraft have landed at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi, since late last month and departed between March 4 and 7. The C-17 aircraft regularly stops at the key U.S. base to transport U.S. assets and personnel, but the arrival of the C-5 appears to be rare.
The USFK said it does not comment on the relocation or movement of its assets due to operational security, while Seoul's defense ministry said it is not appropriate to comment on USFK troop operations.
BY YOON SO-YEON, YONHAP [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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