Rexon Ryu: “The ROK-U.S. Alliance Should Be Defined as a Partnership, Not Burden-Sharing” [ESF2...

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Rexon Ryu: “The ROK-U.S. Alliance Should Be Defined as a Partnership, Not Burden-Sharing” [ESF2026]

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Day Two of the 17th Edaily Strategy Forum

Keynote speech by Rexon Ryu, President of The Asia Group

“Korea and the U.S. Should Invest Capital and Capabilities Together as a Joint Venture”

[Edaily By Reporter Ha-Yeon Shin and Min-Ji Son] “The next chapter of the U.S.-Korea relationship must be defined by partnership, not by burden-sharing.”

Rexon Ryu, President of The Asia Group (TAG) and former Director for Nonproliferation at the U.S. National Security Council (NSC), delivered this message during his keynote speech at the 17th Edaily Strategy Forum held on June 17 at The Shilla Seoul Hotel in central Seoul. He emphasized, “Both nations must mutually bring assets, capabilities, and meaningful contributions to the table.”

The 17th Edaily Strategy Forum was held on the 17th at The Shilla Seoul in Jung-gu, Seoul under the theme, "The Age of Power, Recasting Civilization : Who Designs the New World?" Rexon Ryu, president of The Asia Group (TAG), is delivering a keynote speech on the topic “Security and Defense Strategy in the Era of Self-Reliance.” [Edaily Reporter Jin-hwan Noh]

Addressing the shifts in U.S. foreign policy, President Ryu pointed out, “Policies coming out of Washington are causing anxiety,” adding, “We cannot ignore this reality, but I would like to recommend looking closely at the underlying trends and making judgments based on national interest.”

He analyzed that this geopolitical transformation was not a problem limited to a specific administration. “That is because what will shape the next several decades is not tied to a single government,” he said. “While treaties and historically accumulated bonds certainly remain important, alliances in the 21st century will be expected to go beyond security commitments and increasingly require investment and tangible contributions.”

He then referenced remarks by U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, saying, “Secretary of Defense Hegseth stated that the U.S. desires partners, not protectorates,” and added, “I believe this must be embraced as a strategic challenge framed around the level of national interest.”

Ryu explained, “This is not because there is any basis for seeing Korea as a protectorate.” Rather, he said, “A healthy alliance should be capable of answering what the baseline value of its partnership means, what each party is contributing, and what mutual benefits are being derived.”

He went on to compare the U.S.-Korea alliance to corporate equity structures. “For the past 80 years, the U.S. has provided security, and Korea has been the beneficiary,” President Ryu said. “However, that relationship is now evolving into a joint venture where both sides co-invest capital and capabilities, and consequently, share expectations for the resulting returns.”

“Korea is no longer merely a customer purchasing a service,” he emphasized. “Korea is becoming an investor with an ownership stake, and ownership brings with it the right to participate in decision-making.”