Südkorea ist in der Lage, die Hauptverantwortung zur Abschreckung Nordkoreas mit „kritischer, aber begrenzterer“ US-Unterstützung zu übernehmen: Pentagon – The Korea Times

SS: The Pentagon’s 2026 National Defense Strategy explicitly states that South Korea—bolstered by high defense spending, a robust indigenous arms industry, mandatory conscription, and a „powerful military“—is „capable of taking primary responsibility for deterring North Korea with critical but more limited U.S. support.“ Released Jan 23/24, 2026, the document frames the DPRK as a „direct military threat“ with nuclear forces posing a „clear and present“ danger to the ROK and Japan, yet emphasizes greater ally burden-sharing to free U.S. resources for homeland defense and countering China.

This marks a noticeable doctrinal shift toward Seoul leading conventional/nuclear deterrence on the peninsula (while U.S. extended deterrence commitments remain), aligning with Trump-era „America First“ retrenchment and ongoing OPCON transition discussions. As Pyongyang ramps up missile tests and nuclear rhetoric, does this „limited“ U.S. posture strengthen alliance resilience through empowered ROK capabilities, or risk signaling reduced American resolve—potentially emboldening Kim Jong-un in a multipolar Northeast Asia where deterrence increasingly hinges on Seoul’s own strategic autonomy?