Top U.S. envoy cites 'turbulence' in S. Korea-U.S. alliance amid rift in security, trade priorities

U.S. Ambassador Michelle Steel has described the relationship between South Korea and the United States as experiencing turbulence, highlighting the challenges in strengthening the alliance. During a dialogue session organized by the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea, Steel emphasized the need to move the partnership towards a more equal and robust relationship.

The turbulence stems from various issues, including the implementation of their October summit agreement, intelligence sharing on North Korea, and South Korea's pursuit of regaining wartime operational control (OPCON) from Washington. Steel noted that alliances are not static entities but can evolve - in this case, from a weaker state to a stronger one.

The two nations have agreed on numerous economic and security commitments, such as nuclear energy cooperation, shipbuilding collaboration, and South Korean investments in the United States.