President Lee Jae Myung (C) attends a press conference at the presidential office in Seoul on Nov. 14, 2025, to make an announcement on a joint fact sheet outlining the results of the second summit between Lee and U.S. President Donald Trump in South Korea in October, flanked by National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac (R) and Kim Yong-beom, the presidential chief of staff for policy. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Nov. 14 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea and the United States released a joint fact sheet on Thursday (U.S. time) that, while avoiding explicit references to China, carries unmistakable signals of Washington’s intent to enlist Seoul more deeply in countering Beijing’s expanding military footprint in the Indo-Pacific.
The document, unveiled a day after the two leaders concluded summit talks, contains no direct mention of “China” — a notable omission given President Lee Jae-myung’s balancing act between the two superpowers and the recent easing of tensions following last month’s U.S.–China summit.
Yet several passages reflect the Trump administration’s clear expectation that both South Korean forces and U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) should adopt a more active deterrence role against China’s assertiveness, analysts say.
The most striking language centers on a pledge to “strengthen the U.S. conventional deterrence posture against all regional threats to the alliance, including North Korea.”
The phrase “regional threats,” officials acknowledge, is broadly understood to point to China’s rapidly expanding military activity across the Indo-Pacific.
The fact sheet outlines a division of roles in which South Korea “leads combined conventional defense against North Korea with U.S. support,” while accelerating its own development of “essential military capabilities.”
Though framed around deterring Pyongyang, the emphasis on upgraded conventional power aligns with Washington’s long-standing push for a more modernized alliance that can also help check China.
President Lee Jae-myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping move to a special exhibition hall for their summit after attending the official welcoming ceremony at the Millennium Smile Hall of the Gyeongju National Museum on November 1. (Photo provided by the Presidential Office)
Seoul, for its part, committed to significantly expanding defense spending to 3.5 percent of GDP and purchasing $25 billion worth of U.S. military equipment by 2030. The pledges underscore a shift toward heavier Korean participation in the regional security burden long shouldered by the United States.
Another closely watched line states that both countries “affirm relevant understandings since 2006” — a nod to the 2006 strategic flexibility agreement. The pact signaled Korea’s acceptance that USFK troops could be deployed beyond the peninsula for broader U.S. strategic missions, while Washington agreed not to involve Seoul in regional conflicts against the will of the Korean people.
By reaffirming the document, the two governments effectively acknowledged a continued U.S. interest in using USFK to respond more flexibly to contingencies including potential China-related crises.
The two leaders also pledged to strengthen trilateral security cooperation with Japan — a move widely seen as essential to counter both North Korean missile threats and China’s expanding military reach.
This composite photo, created using pictures released by the AP and EPA news agencies, shows U.S. President Donald Trump (L) and Chinese President Xi Jinping. (Yonhap)
The document was not one-sided. It also reflects Seoul’s own concerns about China’s increasingly aggressive behavior in the West Sea and in Korea’s air defense identification zone. The fact sheet reasserts the importance of “freedom of navigation and overflight” and insists all maritime claims must align with international law.
Still, the inclusion of the Taiwan Strait — one of the most sensitive flashpoints in U.S.–China relations — is likely to draw Beijing’s attention.
The leaders “underscored the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” called for a “peaceful resolution” of cross-strait issues and opposed “any unilateral attempts to change the status quo.”
The language mirrors that used in U.S. statements with key allies, signaling Seoul’s increasing willingness to align with Washington on Taiwan — a stance China has repeatedly warned third countries to avoid.
While framed as a joint vision for “alliance modernization,” the fact sheet ultimately reflects a deeper strategic shift: Seoul and Washington more openly converging on the need to prepare not only for a nuclear-armed North Korea but also for a more unpredictable and assertive China.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
