[연합시론] The Afghan crisis should further strengthen the ROK-U.S. alliance for independent defense and mutual benefit

US President Joe Biden said in a broadcast interview that South Korea and other countries are fundamentally different from the current situation in relation to the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan. Referring to South Korea, Taiwan and Europe, he also made it clear that the United States would respond in accordance with the Mutual Defense Treaty if these countries were exposed to hostile acts. He reaffirmed the U.S. promise of defense by referring to Article Five, which stands for collective defense. Article 5 is included in the Mutual Defense Treaty with NATO and Japan, which states that if a country is attacked, it will jointly defend itself through automatic intervention. Article 3 of the Korea-U.S. Mutual Defense Treaty states this. President Biden’s comments are part of a move to dispel the concerns he made after his comments in Afghanistan. President Biden’s message, “We will not repeat a war without national interest,” raised some doubts about whether the United States was saying that it would abandon its allies if necessary. In the international community, there are observations that he may be inclined to ‘Biden-style America first’, and his relationship with the alliance may loosen. President Biden said that the interview question itself was about China and Taiwan, but he explained that he had to mention South Korea and NATO. It seems that they have reaffirmed the maintenance of the alliance-oriented policy, taking into account the long-standing observations about the future operation of the US alliance and the concerns of its allies.

A U.S. State Department spokesperson also helped to dispel doubts about the Biden administration’s alliance policy by reaffirming that security on the Korean Peninsula is directly related to the national interest of the United States. With about 28,000 US troops stationed in South Korea, South Korea may be of interest in connection with the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. However, it is absurd for anyone to compare Afghanistan and South Korea, which had very little national capabilities and were unable to get out of the civil war. In the midst of this, a controversy arose when a conservative commentator in the United States argued that Korea would collapse without the help of the United States. It is said that the objection is strong even in the United States because it is an overly simplistic logic that lacks an understanding of Korea’s status as the 10th largest trading partner with the world’s sixth largest military power and the geopolitical role of the Korean Peninsula. Although the existence of US forces in Korea is a product of the Cold War era, it is true that it has contributed to the deterrence of war on the Korean Peninsula and stability in Northeast Asia. Moreover, since it brings great security benefits to the United States, it is absurd to view it as a relationship that the United States mainly provides. The demand for an excessive increase in defense cost-sharing, which was pushed by former President Donald Trump while he was submerged in the perception that it was a one-sided benefit, also failed. The Biden administration hopes to use the crisis in Afghanistan as another opportunity to evolve and develop alliances in line with the post-Cold War era of the 21st century.

As the Biden administration reaffirms the importance of alliances, the demands on its allies will inevitably increase. As seen in Afghanistan, there is no way to maintain a unilaterally paying relationship. The Biden administration has focused its foreign strategy on competition with China and has focused on restoring the alliance. This withdrawal from Afghanistan is also analyzed as a decision that is an extension of that. As for South Korea, it is expected to continue to raise demands to participate in China’s pressure strategy, such as Quad, which is a consultative body to contain China, and economic regulations. It also includes a plan to expand the role of USFK to the Indo-Pacific region. It is a difficult task for the government as it cannot promptly respond to demands for pressure on China, its largest trading partner. This is why the establishment of the ROK-U.S. alliance should be based on a security alliance, but should be developed into a reciprocal relationship that respects mutual interests as much as possible. It has become important to strengthen alliance management in line with changes in the global economic map and changes in the situation, such as the intensification of the US-China conflict. It is also noteworthy that the Biden administration will soon review the role of troops stationed abroad. The government should try to coordinate in advance so that decisions that significantly harm the national interest, such as overstimulating China, are not made. The Afghan crisis also reminds us of the importance of self-defense. The disintegration of the Afghan government forces teaches a lesson that if no one helps themselves, others will turn away from help. Using this as a countermeasure, a strong deterrence of war must be maintained at all times by strengthening national defense capabilities. In addition, there should be no interruption in the efforts for dialogue for the establishment of peace on the Korean Peninsula.

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