Posted on 22 Oct 2026
U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Michelle Steel said Oct. 21 that the South Korea-U.S. relationship was experiencing “a kind of turbulence,” citing strains over the transfer of wartime operational control, tensions in intelligence cooperation and delays in investment in the United States. “This is the time for South Korea to step up and lead the Indo-Pacific alongside the United States,” she said, signaling that Seoul should take a more active role in Washington’s efforts to counter China.
Steel made the remarks at a special luncheon hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea, acknowledging that the two allies were going through “a somewhat difficult period.” South Korea, she said, was “no longer a country that needs to be protected by the United States.” Given the South Korean economy’s substantial growth, she added, “This is the time for South Korea to step up and lead alongside the United States.”
Steel described China as “the biggest threat in the Indo-Pacific” and said South Korea should work closely with the United States. Her remarks pointed to the need for stronger bilateral cooperation not only in military efforts to counter China but also in trade and supply chains. She also criticized regulatory barriers in South Korea’s digital market, saying, “American companies should be treated the same as Korean companies.”
Xavier Brunson, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, who attended the luncheon with Steel, warned that North Korea was advancing its ballistic and cruise missile capabilities and that military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow had reached a dangerous level. “We cannot rely solely on the two joint exercises held each year,” he said. “We need to train continuously throughout the year.”
Meanwhile, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, who heads the ruling Workers’ Party’s General Affairs Department, and Pak Jong Chon, an adviser to the Ministry of National Defense, inspected sites involved in what Pyongyang calls the fortification of the border, the Korean Central News Agency reported. Kim Yo Jong said Kim Jong Un had ordered that “there must not be even an inch of concession in exercising the country’s territorial sovereignty.” Her remarks came after Pyongyang threatened to resume loudspeaker broadcasts directed at South Korea and claimed it would respond militarily to warning shots fired by the South Korean military.
Source:The Dong-A Ilbo
