South Korean media outlets are fearing North Korea’s new missile technology will drive a wedge between the South and the U.S.
Expert observers assess the Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) can strike targets across the continental U.S., raising the threat to the U.S. in the event of a conflict with North Korea. Some in South Korea are concerned the U.S. might not come to South Korea’s defense.
“The whole goal behind having an ICBM is to drive a wedge between the U.S. and South Korea,” Melissa Hanham, a respected arms expert and a senior research associate at the East Asia Nonproliferation Program, previously explained to The Daily Caller News Foundation. “Because once they feel that they can hold the U.S. mainland at risk, they feel the U.S. will be much less likely to come to South Korea’s aid.”
North Korea has an ICBM, and that has South Korean observers worried.
“Would the Trump administration protect us from an attack from the North when doing so could risk putting the US in danger of a nuclear attack?” a JoongAng Ilbo editorial asked, according to Channel News Asia. The article dejectedly read the answer “may not be yes.”
“The worst-case scenario is U.S. troops withdrawing from the Korean peninsula,” an editorial in the Chosun Ilbo read, “That is what North Korea ultimately wants … For South Koreans who have grown used to decades of protection from the U.S. Forces Korea, that prospect is almost unimaginable. But the reality is that things are heading in that very direction.”
“North Korea simply has to render the U.S. protective nuclear umbrella useless to expose the utter vulnerability of South Korea,” the article argued.
South Korea is considering bolstering its defenses to better prepare for the possibility of a conflict with North Korea. Seoul is discussing improving its conventional weapons and raising limits on the ranges and payloads of South Korea’s ballistic missiles with counterparts in Washington. South Korea has put increased emphasis on independent defense capabilities, but the country still relies on America’s nuclear umbrella for protection against the North.
The U.S. has repeatedly reminded South Korea and Japan that it is committed to defending its allies.
In the wake of North Korea’s latest ICBM test Friday, U.S. and South Korean military forces conducted a joint precision strike drill demonstrating their ability to respond to North Korean provocations. The U.S. also dispatched B-1B Lancers to drill with Japanese and South Korean air assets.
“North Korea continues to launch missiles, develop its nuclear weapons program, and engage in threatening rhetoric and behavior,” Mattis asserted in early February. “We stand with our peace-loving Republic of Korea ally to maintain stability on the peninsula and in the region. America’s commitments to defending our allies and to upholding our extended deterrence guarantees remain ironclad. Any attack on the United States, or our allies, will be defeated, and any use of nuclear weapons would be met with a response that would be effective and overwhelming.”
The U.S. has reaffirmed its commitment to defending its allies after every missile test, but doubts linger as North Korea’s capabilities improve. Lindsey Graham did not help the situation when he said that Trump has “got to choose between homeland security and regional stability.”
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