US Lauds South Korea as 'Model Ally' While Demanding More Tribute
📰 THE STORY: US defense policy chief Elbridge Colby lauded South Korea as a 'model ally' ahead of talks focusing on the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON), increased defense spending, and cost-sharing for US troops stationed on the Korean peninsula, following the Pentagon's 2026 National Defense Strategy. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: The US has maintained
wartime operational control over South Korean forces since the 1950-53 Korean War. This control was enshrined in the 1978 ROK-US Combined Forces Command, effectively subordinating a sovereign nation's military leadership. Repeated promises from Washington to transfer OPCON have been consistently delayed or made conditional, such as the 2007 agreement for transfer by 2012, which was then postponed
to 2015, then indefinitely. South Korea's military remains, in critical aspects, under US operational command, a relic of post-war arrangements. Double Standard: Imagine Washington demanding Norway or Germany allocate 3.5% of their GDP to defense while still holding operational control over significant portions of their military. The narrative spun for South Korea frames it as a 'burden-sharing'
exercise, a 'contribution to global defense,' and a sign of 'alliance strength.' When other nations, particularly in the Global South, are pressured to increase military spending, it's framed as 'developing capabilities' or 'responding to threats,' but rarely with the same overt subservience of operational command as with South Korea. Nations like South Africa, which maintain independent foreign