It has been almost a decade since the quiet South Korean village of Seongju was overnight transformed into a key location, crucial to the country’s ability to counter an attack from North Korea.
On a spring morning, camouflaged trucks carrying the American-made Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system entered Seongju, while the government ignored the protests of locals who said the deployment would make them a target for Pyongyang’s ballistic missiles, writes The Guardian.
The conservative government in Seoul, backed by Washington, insisted that THAAD was the most effective way to locate and destroy North Korean missiles before they could threaten the South and the 28,500 American soldiers stationed there.
The deployment also angered China and Russia, who said that THAAD's powerful radar could compromise their security.
However, after nine years, the US is said to have started moving parts of the system, along with other military equipment, out of South Korea for use in its war against Iran. The American press reported that the Pentagon is moving parts of a THAAD system to the Middle East, citing two officials.
This move, reported this week, has raised doubts about Donald Trump's security commitment to South Korea - the most important US ally in East Asia, along with Japan - and warnings that the North, armed with nuclear weapons, could try to increase pressure on its neighbor.
Why, critics wonder, has South Korea invested so much political capital in a defense system that could one day be removed?
President reassures the population
The liberal President of South Korea, Lee Jae Myung, has tried to assure the public that the country is capable of deterring threats from the North, even if the US redistributes weapons and other military assets to the Middle East.
He added that South Korea's defense budget is among the largest in the world and is estimated to be 1.4 times larger than North Korea's gross domestic product.
South Korea's Foreign Minister, Cho Hyun, said on Friday that the US and South Korean militaries are also discussing the possible redistribution of some American Patriot missile defense systems to the Middle East. South Korean media has reported unconfirmed reports that some missile batteries could be redeployed to US bases in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
“For operational security reasons, we do not comment on the movement of specific capabilities or military assets,” said a US Forces Korea official to the Yonhap news agency.
Even though President Lee is right to downplay the security risk for South Korea, the weakening of American defense there has raised concerns that the war with Iran signals a downgrade in Trump's commitment to Northeast Asia, where North Korea's nuclear weapons program and the Taiwan Strait are potential flashpoints.
“There is a risk that North Korea may miscalculate the relocation of some of these weapons as a pretext for low-level challenges to test the defensive posture of allies,” said Choi Gi-il, a professor of military studies at Sangji University.
Concerns in Japan as well
Japan also needs to adapt to the hurried redeployment of US military equipment to the Middle East - a move that lends weight to critics' claims that Trump has entered the war in Iran without a clear plan, putting American forces at risk of being drawn into a prolonged conflict.
Japan hosts about 50,000 American soldiers, over half of them on the southern island of Okinawa. Two American guided-missile destroyers based in Yokosuka, south of Tokyo, are currently deployed in the Arabian Sea, according to a report from the US Naval Institute.
The leader of Japan's main opposition party expressed concern over reports that the US was prepared to send ships from Japan to the Middle East.
“Japan has not allowed the stationing of American forces to launch missiles towards the Middle East from these bases,” said Junya Ogawa to lawmakers this week.
The conservative South Korean newspaper JoongAng Daily stated that any reduction in the country's defense capability “inevitably raises concerns.”
“The South Korean government should ensure that any redistributed assets promptly return once their missions are completed, minimizing potential gaps in deterring North Korea. Efforts to enhance South Korea's defense capabilities should also be accelerated,” the newspaper wrote.