On March 10, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung affirmed that Seoul can still cope with potential threats in the region even if US weapons placed in South Korea are transferred to other countries.
Speaking at a cabinet meeting, Mr. Lee Jae Myung said he expressed opposition to the possibility of "the US transporting some weapons such as artillery batteries and air defense systems out of South Korea".
However, the South Korean leader also noted that Seoul is not in a position to make demands on Washington, implying that it is unlikely to prevent the US from carrying out the transfer if this scenario actually occurs.
Notably, although Mr. Lee Jae Myung repeatedly expressed goodwill to improve relations and resume communication channels with North Korea, his March 10 speech was somewhat tougher on Pyongyang.
The South Korean President said that the transfer of US weapons elsewhere "does not hinder the deterrent strategy against North Korea", while emphasizing that South Korea's defense spending and conventional military capabilities far exceed North Korea.
Observers believe that Mr. Lee Jae Myung made this statement to reassure concerns about the possibility of security imbalance in Asia if Washington actually withdraws the strategic systems used to deter military movements in the region, especially North Korea.
“North Korea may misunderstand the transfer of weapons and take advantage of this to carry out low-level provocative actions to test the reaction of the US-Korea alliance,” said Professor of Military Studies at Sangji Choi-il University.
In a related development, South Korean media reported that some missile batteries have been moved from the Osan base and are likely to be redeployed to US bases in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, although South Korean officials have not confirmed this information.
