Jan. 24 (Asia Today) — The Trump administration said South Korea is fully capable of taking primary responsibility for deterring North Korea, under what it described as critical but more limited U.S. support, according to a newly released U.S. defense strategy.
In the National Defense Strategy issued Thursday, the administration said South Korea has both the capability and willingness to assume a leading role in deterrence given what it called a direct and clear threat from North Korea.
The document said shifting the balance of responsibility for deterrence aligns with U.S. national interests as Washington updates the posture of U.S. forces on the Korean Peninsula.
The strategy stressed that deterrence against North Korea remains consistent with U.S. national security priorities, even as Washington recalibrates its role in the alliance.
Despite assessing that North Korea’s conventional forces are aging, the document warned that the risk of a North Korean invasion cannot be dismissed and said South Korea must remain vigilant.
The strategy also said North Korea retains the capability to strike targets in South Korea and Japan with nuclear weapons and poses a clear nuclear attack threat to the U.S. mainland.
— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
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Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260124010011427