U.S., South Korea: Exercise Delays and Lingering Perceptions

The repeated delay of a bilateral U.S.-South Korean anti-submarine warfare exercise is taking on far-reaching importance for the U.S.-South Korean alliance. Combined with the American hesitance to deploy an aircraft carrier because it might antagonize Beijing, Seoul is beginning to ask itself serious questions about the long-term trajectory of its defense reform. No doubt the American behavior in the wake of the ChonAn sinking will be discussed in Seoul for years to come.