US Forces Korea chief calls South Korea a 'dagger' aimed at China

The commander of US Forces Korea, Paul LaCamera, has described South Korea as a "dagger" positioned in the heart of Asia from China's perspective. This framing highlights South Korea's strategic importance in the US-led effort to contain China's regional influence.

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When China looks from its east coast, South Korea looks like a dagger stuck in the center of Asia.

LaCamera elaborated on this view in a podcast, explaining that South Korea acts as a "dagger" aimed at China's center, while Japan serves as a "shield" blocking ambitions beyond the South China Sea, and the Philippines, with its Typhon missiles, forms the southeastern flank. He referred to this as a "triangular structure" that places the US in a "pretty advantageous position" to create risks for China and disrupt its regional activities.

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Japan serves as a kind of shield, a rear defense line blocking ambitions beyond the South China Sea, and to the southeast are the Philippines with Typhon missiles.

He further suggested that integrating these elements into a "kill web" would create an insurmountable force, potentially deterring war and enabling diplomatic and economic freedom. This is not the first time LaCamera has emphasized expanding the US-South Korea alliance's role beyond North Korea to counter China, having previously called South Korea a "floating island or a fixed aircraft carrier" between Japan and mainland China.

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We are in a pretty advantageous position right now.

However, this strategic framing has drawn criticism. Some experts argue that the "kill web" concept is unrealistic and dangerous, requiring significant military cooperation and potentially entangling South Korea in disputes like those in the East China Sea and South China Sea. The "dagger" analogy also carries historical weight, echoing a late Joseon-era Japanese expression used to justify its invasions of Korea and Manchuria.

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If we weave that into a 'kill web,' it creates a tangible force that the adversary can never break, and perhaps a situation where we don't have to fight.