SEOUL, South Korea — The war with Iran is delaying an already overdue U.S. foreign policy and national security pivot to Asia, warns retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn.
But Gen. Flynn, who served briefly as national security adviser in President Trump’s first term, said U.S. military and economic partnerships with Asian allies such as South Korea are evolving, despite the “sucking sound” in the Middle East dominating the U.S. foreign policy conversation.
In a recent interview with The Washington Times in Seoul, the retired general, now chairman of U.S. think tank the Gold Institute, cited the ongoing shift of wartime operational control of South Korean troops to local command as a positive development in the American-Korean alliance, and he insisted the U.S. troops on the peninsula need the “strategic flexibility” to operate regionwide — long a sticking point for Seoul.
Asked his view on the future direction of the alliance — anchored in a 1953 mutual defense treaty and the stationing of some 28,000 U.S. forces on South Korean soil — he stressed the soaring importance of economic relations.
“I think it is shifting away from a pure security alliance to an economic alliance,” Gen. Flynn, whose military career focused on intelligence and special operations, said. “I remember Korea in the 1970s and ‘80s; it was rough and still identified as a surrogate, but they made the decision to step their game up.”
That was achieved “under the U.S. security umbrella” — to the point where South Korea’s economy is now Asia’s fourth largest and the world’s 13th. A manufacturing giant, South Korea is competitive in strategic sectors including semiconductors, shipbuilding, artificial intelligence, robotics and arms.
Washington, Seoul clash
Gen. Flynn also warned that a brouhaha over data breaches at Coupang — a prominent South Korea-founded, U.S.-listed delivery company — is rocking the bilateral boat.
“I think Coupang … needs to own up,” he said. “What the people of Korea expect is for Coupang to own up and apologize. That’s clear.”
Founded in Seoul in 2010, Coupang is the dominant online delivery company in South Korea. It was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2021 and is headquartered in Delaware, though it reportedly generates over 90% of its revenue in South Korea.
Coupang entered Seoul’s regulatory gunsights after an internal security snafu last year led to the release of some 33.7 million account holders’ personal information — South Korea’s largest-ever data breach.
Under fire, Coupang turned to U.S. lobbyists, its investors saw red, and the company’s cause was taken up by Washington.
After the House Judicial Committee warned that “targeting of American companies … will not be tolerated,” a White House report released on July 1 accused Seoul of “discriminatory” practices after Coupang’s U.S. CEO faced slurs during questioning by South Korean lawmakers.
On July 8, South Korea’s ambassador to Washington, Kang Kyung-hwa, urged calm amid fears that the conflict could “burden” the alliance.
On Wednesday, she returned to Seoul to discuss alliance issues with Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and told local media that the Coupang situation was “dragging on much longer than I expected.”
Beyond Coupang
Despite the simmering frustrations in both capitals over Coupang, commercial ties between the U.S. and South Korea are pregnant with opportunity.
“There are things we could take advantage of — like South Korean shipbuilding,” Gen. Flynn suggested.
With U.S. shipyards failing to keep pace with Beijing’s surging warship output, many argue that America should outsource vessel construction to South Korea and Japan.
Last week, specialist media Naval News confirmed that the U.S. Navy has issued “requests for information” about potential construction of U.S. tankers and destroyers to South Korean yards.
Three South Korean firms have responded, NN reported, though it warned that Congress would need to issue special security waivers if contracts are offered.
Pushback is also expected from U.S. states with local shipyards.
Given the sensitivity of naval weapons systems, sensors and command-and-control suites, some experts suggest modular builds. South Korean yards could construct hulls, propulsion systems and crew quarters, and then sail them to the U.S. to fit out with combat systems, they say. Alternatively, those systems could be “black-boxed” and added to the hulls in South Korea.
Washington’s only bootprint on the Asian mainland is South Korea, and an ever-present bilateral issue is the potential use of U.S. Forces Korea for ex-peninsula operations.
Any USFK posture not North Korea-facing concerns Seoul, where lawmakers are wary of the reaction of neighboring economic giant China.
“I think Koreans have to understand that U.S. forces here may be required to do operations in other parts of the region,” Gen. Flynn said, insisting that such missions would enhance regional security.
South Korea steps up
Gen. Flynn was upbeat on the ongoing handover of wartime operational control of South Korean forces to domestic commanders — something President Lee Jae-myung wants done by 2030, when his term ends.
Given the importance of combined command, and given strong historical American preferences for U.S.-led commands, some critics fear that “OPCON Transfer,” which could see USFK troops come under South Korean control, might prompt USFK downsizing.
“Giving operational control to South Korean commanders comes with some conditions, so they are practicing now,” Gen. Flynn said. “There are going to be problems, and these will be discovered and addressed.”
South Korean officers and command protocols are being stress-tested in exercises.
During the ongoing multilateral Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercises underway off Hawaii, South Korea became the first Asian navy ever to lead the Combined Force Maritime Component Command, comprising some 30 vessels and 200 aircraft from 31 nations.
“I was extremely pleased with [South Korean command] performance,” U.S. Vice Adm. Jeffrey Jablon told South Korean media in a statement on Sunday.
Gen. Flynn said Mr. Trump may be frustrated by his inability to pay more attention to the Indo-Pacific.
“I think he understands the scale of the global economy in this part of the world,” he said. “This region is largely peaceful; China can be a bully, but it is a pretty peaceful environment.”
That contrasts with the high-intensity Ukraine war, endless Middle East bloodletting and a new U.S. focus on the Western Hemisphere.
“I think he has an affinity with Asian people, he likes them, and he’s always treated very well over here,” Gen. Flynn said. “He’d love to solve Korean unification. That would be a plum in his hat.”
He continued, “I think we want to pivot to the Pacific, but the sucking sound of the Middle East is dragging us down.
“We spent 20 years in two countries there,” he said. “I am not proud of it.”
Gen. Flynn was the shortest-tenured U.S. national security adviser: He exited the position amid controversy over his ties to Russia, but retains a voice in security affairs.
The Gold Institute’s host in Seoul was the Korea-U.S. Alliance Foundation, which aims to facilitate leadership-level dialogue to strengthen the alliance while showcasing South Korea’s defense-industrial capabilities.
The KUAF advertises with the Washington Times.
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