Link to article: https://asianews.network/north-korean-leader-says-south-korea-us-japan-military-cooperation-causes-regional-conflict/
Following the February 9 Summit between President Trump and PM Shigeru Ishiba regarding the denuclearization of North Korea , Kim Jong-un has stated that the trilateral military alliance between the US, Japan, and South Korea is being perceived as a threat to NK. Kim emphasizes the military imbalance in the East Asian region that is exacerbated by intervention from the US. Pyongyang has vowed to continue to develop their nuclear stockpile in search of an “unlimited defense capability,” but has treaded carefully in terms of relations with the US as the Trump administration has not yet established a solid policy for the Korean Peninsula. The South Korean Foreign ministry has welcomed the commitment between Japan and the US, vowing to continue trilateral cooperation with the two countries to both strengthen alliances in the region and facilitate the denuclearization of North Korea.
This article is important as it highlights North Korea’s fear of regional competition in the form of a trilateral alliance between SK, America, and Japan. Relations on the Korean Peninsula have been tense for decades, dating back to the Cold war, and SK has aligned itself with the Western world through alliances with the US and NATO countries. North Korea has sought to increase its power and influence for many years, mainly through the development of their nuclear program, which threatens its enemies due to the unpredictable and impulsive nature of Kim. Furthermore, the trilateral alliance partly blocks North Korea in, surrounded on the South by SK and to the East by Japan, making it next to impossible for North Korea to project any power off of its borders. This strengthens US influence in the region and works to contain the Kim regime.
I am curious to see how Trump will navigate policy in terms of the Korean peninsula, especially with Kim Jong-un. In his first presidency, he held a summit with Kim, and appeared to be on positive terms, even discussing North Korea slowly stepping away from their development of nuclear weapons. However, by meeting with PM Ishiba so early in his second administration, it appears that Trump is focusing policy on establishing relations with other countries in the region. North Korea has to tread extremely carefully in terms of relations with the US because of its power and influence, but the US must also take steps to decrease tensions, as North Korea has already proven to be working in alliance with Russia in Ukraine. The alliance with SK and the US definitely benefits Japan, because Japan earns an ally willing to take action in the region for its protection and working towards the same goal: the denuclearization of NK.
In class, we have been discussing international security. The trilateral US-Japan-South Korea alliance is an example of multilateral intervention and cooperation. The attempt to encircle North Korea by countries in the region acts as a sort of rimland theory. In terms of the geopolitical significance and theories practiced by the US, this is an example of offshore-balancing. The US is delegating the overview of North Korea to its regional allies of Japan and South Korea so it can focus on domestic affairs, but also keep a foot in the door in case intervention is needed in the region. The US is forced to balance the grand strategies of liberal hegemony and offshore-balancing as it moves further into the new world order dominated by the 3 realms: the maritime realm, East Asian realm, and Eurasian realm.