Seoul’s protest over stand-off seen as reluctance to let US Forces Korea confront China

South Korean complaint highlights growing difficulty in balancing ties with both security ally US and top trading partner China: analyst3Published: 10:00am, 24 Feb 2026South Korea last week protested to the US over a rare stand-off between American and Chinese fighter jets in the Yellow Sea, according to media reports. Analysts said the move signalled Seoul was reluctant to see US forces stationed in South Korea more actively confront Beijing.Yonhap News Agency, citing unnamed military sources, on Saturday reported that South Korean Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back lodged a complaint with General Xavier Brunson, commander of US Forces Korea (USFK), “immediately” after receiving a report of the stand-off last week.The report said USFK had notified South Korea of its plan ahead of the exercise but had not offered details about the drills.The incident was reported to have taken place on Wednesday and involved around 10 US F-16 fighters that took off from Osan Air Base about 65km (40 miles) south of Seoul and flew west over the Yellow Sea as part of a training operation. As the F-16s approached China’s air defence identification zone (ADIZ), Beijing scrambled its own fighter jets in what South Korean media described as a “brief” face-off. Russian embassy hangs ‘Victory’ banner in Seoul ahead of fourth anniversary of Ukraine warRussian embassy hangs ‘Victory’ banner in Seoul ahead of fourth anniversary of Ukraine warThe stand-off came amid an apparent shift in the focus of US troops stationed in South Korea, pivoting away from North Korea to counter China. Washington is also pushing its allies to take on a greater military role while increasing the flexibility of US forces.