Commander of U.S. Forces Korea calls South Korea a ‘dagger’ aimed at China
by Bill Gertz · The Washington TimesAmerican military power in South Korea represents “a dagger” pointed at China, according to the commander of U.S. Forces Korea.
“When [the Chinese] look out from the east coast of China, what they see is there’s Korea, the dagger in the heart of Asia,” Army Gen. Xavier Brunson said during a podcast hosted by the Army War College last week.
“[Then] there’s Japan, again, sort of that shield that’s sort of a backstop, if you will, for them trying and their ambitions beyond that into the South China Sea and then down to their southeast is the Philippines,” he said.
The comments drew condemnation from China’s government. The Chinese Embassy in South Korea on Thursday said on social media it had “solemnly warned” the four-star general that his remarks had crossed a line.
“Are your hostile and aggressive remarks about China authorized by Washington or are you trying to challenge the consensus reached at the Beijing meeting between the Chinese and U.S. leaders?” an embassy official was quoted as saying in local press reports.
Last year, Gen. Brunson said in remarks at a forum in Hawaii that South Korea is a “fixed aircraft carrier” with power projection forces that can bolster overall U.S. military efforts to deter an increasingly aggressive China.
“You refer to the host country as an ’aircraft carrier’ or a ’dagger.’ Does this demonstrate your belligerence, or do you intend to use other countries as pawns?” the embassy official said.
South Korean President Lee Jae-Myung visited Beijing in January and announced plans for closer relations with its communist neighbor. In September, the Seoul government loosened visa restrictions for Chinese visitors.
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China, for its part, has stepped up harsh criticism of Japan over claims Tokyo is engaged in “militarism” for building up its military forces to counter threats from China. A key element of China’s regional strategy is to stoke divisions between Seoul and Tokyo.
Gen. Brunson’s remarks were made amid efforts by the U.S. and South Korea to modernize their alliance in ways that would give Seoul a greater role in its security and allow U.S. forces to confront the threat from China regionally.
President Trump’s summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping this month set in motion a new detente in U.S.-China relations that the president hopes will improve frosty trade ties.
The Trump administration imposed high tariffs on Chinese goods after coming into office in January 2021, and Beijing retaliated by restricting exports of critical rare earths minerals needed by many industries. The two governments are seeking to deescalate the trade war.
Liberals in South Korea also are opposing plans by the U.S. military to use Korea-based forces in any future conflict with China over Taiwan or Japan.
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The U.S. military currently deploys about 28,500 troops in South Korea, including the Army’s Second Infantry Division, two Air Force fighter wings and air and missile defense forces.
The forces have been based there under a mutual defense treaty since the Korean War.
In November, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said following defense talks in Seoul that American military forces could be used outside the peninsula if a conflict erupts with China. The current focus of those troops, however, is confronting threats from North Korea, he said.
The same month, Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and South Korean Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Jin Yong-sung issued a statement after separate military talks suggesting greater out-of-area operations for forces under the U.S. Forces Korea command.
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The comments by Gen. Brunson are not new. He said during a War College podcast a year ago that American forces based on mainland Asia can be used in confronting China and other adversaries.
Gen. Brunson said in May 2025 that his forces are “inside the A2AD bubble,” a reference to Chinese anti-access, area denial military targeting zones.
“I am on the Asian continent. I’m there. And if I’m there, I have the potential to impose cost on all three of the Asian-centered adversaries,” he said, referring to China, North Korea and Russia.
“So when I look at those authoritarian regimes of China, of [North Korea] and Russia in the Sea of Japan or the East Sea, we can counter Russia right there. We could make that a lake in South Korea in the West Sea, we can counter the Northern Theater army, for example. I mean, there are things that we can do from our positional advantage that can’t be done anywhere else.”
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China’s Northern Theater Command is one of five major People’s Liberation Army commands and covers northeast China.
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Bill Gertz
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