The article was originally published by Voice of America and translated by OKN Correspondent.
John Aquilino, Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command, defined the US-ROK alliance as the linchpin of freedom in the Indo-Pacific region. He also stated to continue the dedication of those who died in the Korean War. David Stilwell, former Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, stressed the need for the US-ROK alliance to jointly address broader challenges in the region beyond the North Korean threat. Sang-jin Cho reports.
“Today, the Republic of Korea, United States service members demonstrate their unwavering commitment to peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and throughout the world,” said John Aquilino, Commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command. “We carry out these missions, to which the individuals buried here have given their lives to carry out,” he added.
The Center for Korea-America Freedom & Security Policy (KAFSP) with the Korean Veterans Association (KVA) and Korea CPAC (KCPAC) hosted a commemorative event for the 72nd anniversary of the Korean War at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii.
“For over six decades, the iron-clad alliance between our two nations based on mutual trust, shared values, and our people-to-people ties in enduring friendship have delivered peace, stability, and prosperity for our nations,” said Commander Aquilino at the event.
“We continue to pursue a free and open Indo-Pacific. Together we will continue to deter aggression, preserve liberty and support peace,” he emphasized.
Commander Aquilino emphasized not to forget the sacrifices of the 175,000 South Korean soldiers, 40,000 Americans, and multinational Allied Forces who died fighting to defend freedom after the outbreak of the Korean War.
“The Korean War started as an act of aggression, very similar to what we see today in Ukraine—a desire to dominate a peaceful neighbor’s territory and people. As we saw 72 years ago, the Soviet Union and the PRC approved and supported the North Korean plans. Authoritarian regimes in North Korea and the PRC approved the Russian invasion of Ukraine,” he pointed out.
Commander Aquilino also emphasized, “then and now a broad alliance of countries with shared values came together to preserve the freedom that we enjoy, as well as the rules-based international order.”
He added that the US and South Korea have strengthened an official alliance since the Korean War and that today, several allies and partner states are joining the UN Security Council in adopting UN Security Council resolutions against North Korean provocations.
David Stilwell, former Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific Affairs also criticized China and Russia’s roles in enabling North Korea to invade the South. As part of the same event on the 24, he attended the panel discussion on “National Security and ROK-US Alliance” held in Hawaii and pointed out that Russia’s support and the Chinese southward operation enabled the North’s invasion of the South. He also added that they continue to cooperate with each other to this day.
Regarding the US-ROK relations, he said that the past four years have been highly productive but not striving. He emphasized that bilateral relations need to be stronger to respond to challenges, such as North Korea.
“One, we need to make the US bilateral issue with the ROK stronger, and there’s always room for that,” he pointed out.
“But number two is we have to increase the participation of that bilateral relationship in the region as well because the threats in the region aren’t limited to North Korea,” he said, citing the conflict that China aggravated in the East China Sea and Taiwan as examples.
“We absolutely see that the first priority is maintaining our attention on North Korea, but this relationship also needs to be able to flex to address other activities in the region,” he emphasized.
He evaluated the US-ROK joint statement that “the recent statement from Seoul, the joint statement between US and Korea on the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait was encouraging.”
Former Assistant Secretary Stilwell underlined that all regional allies and partners such as the US, South Korea, Japan, Australia, the Philippines, and Thailand could “manage behavior from those who seek to upset the status quo.”
Former high-ranking South Korean generals also attended the panel session and discussed the historical significance of the Korean War and ways to strengthen the US-ROK alliance.
Jin-young Kim, former Chief of Staff of the ROK Army, pointed out in the discussion that the ROK-US alliance has been damaged over the past several years. He highlighted restoring and developing the ROK-US alliance through resolving various security issues such as the North Korean nuclear problem, the deployment of the terminal high-altitude missile defense system (THAAD), and the transfer of wartime operational control.
In addition, former deputy commander of the ROK-US Combined Forces Command, Byunghyuk Choi, argued that “the ROK-US alliance, the basis of the defense system on the Korean Peninsula for the past 68 years, has greatly weakened due to changes in the political environment over the past five years.”
[General Byunghyuk Choi]: “The common enemy of the ROK-US alliance, Kim Jong-un and North Korean authorities have not changed their political intentions, strategic goals, or provocative actions. However, the past administration deceived the South Korean people that the North Korean regime would seek lasting peace in the Korean Peninsula and that permanent peace had been established. It caused the most serious security vacuum by mentally disarming the people.”
General Choi repeatedly criticized the damage to liberal democratic values and trust in the US-ROK alliance due to the reduction of large-scale joint military exercises with the United States, the delay in the normal operation of the THAAD base, the unreasonable early transfer of wartime operational control, the abstention in adopting the UN resolution on North Korean human rights, and the anti-leaflet law.
He emphasized sharing the firm belief in freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, which are the core values of the liberal-democratic alliance, to develop the US-ROK alliance more comprehensively. He also addressed the importance of sharing the same perception that both countries stand up to totalitarian hegemons such as North Korea, China, and Russia.
In addition, General Cho noted the need for reactivating the Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group (EDSCG)—a US-Korea high-level meeting to prepare for North Korea’s nuclear and missile attacks. He also emphasized developing the EDSCG into a joint defense force in the Indo-Pacific, not limited to the Korean Peninsula, by building defense capabilities through establishing the South Korean “three-axis defense system.”
Sang-jin Cho from VOA News reported.
