A soldier turning their back on an ally's outstretched hand. The perception that alliances equate to subservience only invites isolation. Hankyoreh graphic

In a Facebook post on the 21st, President Lee Jae-myung claimed, "Thinking that independent defense is impossible without foreign troops is a subservient mindset."

He invoked former President Roh Moo-hyun's "dung general" remarks and explained defense capabilities by citing advanced weaponry and reserve force numbers. However, this perspective is a dangerous approach that oversimplifies the international security environment.

The ROK-US alliance is the cornerstone of South Korea's security. Viewing the presence of foreign troops as subservience is a misunderstanding of the essence of alliances. The United States, Europe, and Japan also share security through mutual stationing and joint systems. In the geopolitical reality South Korea faces, independent defense without alliances is merely an empty declaration.

The case of Ukraine clearly illustrates this.

As NATO membership was delayed, Ukraine faced a Russian invasion and ultimately suffered immense damage. In contrast, Eastern European countries like Poland and the Baltic states effectively deterred Russian military threats by rapidly joining NATO.

Alliances are not subservience but a safety net, and history proves how dangerous the illusion of isolated independent defense can be.

President Lee's statement, "Fifty people can handle thousands or tens of thousands," reveals an excessive reliance on advanced weaponry. However, the war in Ukraine has shown that advanced weapons alone cannot turn the tide of war.

It is the combination of Western intelligence support, weapons supply, and financial aid that has allowed Ukraine to endure thus far. Modern warfare is determined not only by weapons but also by alliance networks and economic sustainability.

While emphasizing the 2.6 million reserve forces, numbers alone cannot guarantee defense capabilities. The foundation of active-duty forces is weakening due to low birth rates and reduced service terms. Packaging structural vulnerabilities with simple figures is merely political rhetoric to reassure the public.

Independent defense must be a strategy, not a slogan.

Independent defense that denies alliances is merely an illusion; only independent defense that is complemented by alliances is a realistic solution.

Repeatedly saying "reciprocal alliance" is empty. Rhetoric based on advanced weaponry and reserve numbers cannot reassure the public.

Listening to his dazzling rhetoric, one might even mistakenly believe he views the public as a threat rather than trying to reassure them.

While the discourse that dismisses alliances as subservience may sound bold, it is paradoxically a confession of the limits of national capability.

What the president should demonstrate is not political rhetoric but a strategic understanding of reality. President Lee Jae-myung must move beyond the dangerous perception of alliances and subservience and face the value of the alliances that have supported South Korea's security.

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