(LEAD) U.S. ambassador says S. Korea-U.S. alliance 'linchpin' of peace on Korean Peninsula

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(ATTN: UPDATES with details; Eighth Army commander's remarks)

SEOUL, Sept. 18 (Yonhap) -- U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Michelle Steel on Friday highlighted the South Korea-U.S. alliance as the "linchpin" of peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and in the Indo-Pacific.

Steel made the remarks at a forum in Seoul, noting the bilateral alliance was forged over 70 years ago with blood and sacrifices made in the 1950-53 Korean War.

"For more than 70 years, the U.S.-ROK alliance has been the linchpin of peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and throughout the Indo-Pacific," Steel said in her opening address, referring to South Korea by its official name, the Republic of Korea.

"Our mutual defense treaty is an unbreakable bond," she added. "But our alliance is more than an agreement between governments. It is also a human story. It is our story."

Steel stressed that Seoul and Washington share "one story" forged in war and secured by American and Korean soldiers who stood "shoulder to shoulder" to defend freedom during the Korean War.

Highlighting that South Korea has now become a "global leader" in a number of areas, including technology, culture, manufacturing and democracy, Steel said such an achievement was first and foremost attributable to the people of Korea, but also to the service members of the U.S. and South Korean armed forces.

"To our active-duty service members from U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) and the ROK armed forces, thank you for answering the call," she said. "You are the living expression of our ironclad alliance."

On the joint fact sheet adopted after last year's summit between President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump, Steel said the agreement showed the allies are working together for a "stronger, safer and more prosperous future."

"We are strengthening our security cooperation. We are modernizing the alliance. We are deepening trade and investment, and we are building on our cooperation in shipbuilding, technology and regional security," she said.

U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Michelle Steel gives an opening speech at the Republic of Korea-U.S. Alliance Veterans Conference in Seoul on Sept. 18, 2026. (Yonhap)

Eighth Army Commander Lt. Gen. Joseph Hilbert stressed that the South Korea-U.S. alliance is not merely a security agreement restricted to the Korean Peninsula, but a "comprehensive global partnership" that is vital in a world of growing friction.

"But this alliance cannot be understood only as a security agreement isolated to the peninsula," he said in his keynote address. "Today it is a comprehensive global partnership."

Hilbert underscored the importance of deterrence in the face of multifaceted security challenges, including growing coordination among authoritarian states, such as North Korea, Russia and China.

"The DPRK remains a clear and immediate threat," he warned, noting that the North's military ambitions, weapons programs, cyber activities and growing external relationships cannot be viewed in isolation, but as problems with implications "above and beyond the peninsula."

"That is why deterrence here matters globally, and that is why our physical presence, our combined readiness and our demonstrated commitment matter so much," he added. DPRK is short for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name.

Hilbert also highlighted alliance modernization as "central" to attain the posture needed to achieve deterrence in South Korea.

"The purpose is not change for change's sake," he said. "The purpose is to ensure that this alliance is stronger, faster and more capable tomorrow than it is today."

The annual forum, hosted by the U.S. Alliance Foundation and Korea Defense Veterans Association, was held under the theme, "The sacrifice of the U.S. Forces Korea after the armistice agreement, and the South Korea-U.S. alliance."

It was attended by Vice Veterans Minister Kang Yun-jin and former USFK commanders, including Paul LaCamera, Burwell Bell and Robert Abrams, as well as veterans of the Korean War.

sookim@yna.co.kr (END)

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(LEAD) U.S. ambassador says S. Korea-U.S. alliance 'linchpin' of peace on Korean Peninsula

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（注意：更新细节；第八集团军司令讲话）

首尔，9月18日（韩联社）——美国驻韩国大使米歇尔·斯蒂尔周五强调，韩美同盟是朝鲜半岛和印太地区和平与安全的“关键”。

斯蒂尔在首尔的一个论坛上发表了上述言论，他指出，70多年前，朝鲜战争（1950-53年）中，两国用鲜血和牺牲缔结了双边联盟。

“70多年来，美韩同盟一直是朝鲜半岛乃至整个印太地区和平与安全的基石，”斯蒂尔在开幕致辞中说道，她用的是韩国的正式名称——大韩民国。

她补充说：“我们的共同防御条约是牢不可破的纽带。但我们的联盟不仅仅是政府间的协议，它也是一个人类的故事，是我们共同的故事。”

斯蒂尔强调，首尔和华盛顿有着“同一个故事”，这个故事是在战争中铸就的，是由美国和韩国士兵在朝鲜战争期间“肩并肩”捍卫自由而缔造的。

斯蒂尔强调，韩国如今已成为包括科技、文化、制造业和民主在内的诸多领域的“全球领导者”，他表示，这一成就首先要归功于韩国人民，其次要归功于美国和韩国武装部队的官兵。

她说道：“感谢驻韩美军和韩国军队的现役军人响应号召。你们是我们牢不可破的同盟关系的鲜活体现。”

在去年李在明总统和美国总统唐纳德·特朗普峰会后通过的联合情况说明书中，斯蒂尔表示，该协议表明盟友正在共同努力，以实现“更强大、更安全、更繁荣的未来”。

“我们正在加强安全合作，推进联盟现代化，深化贸易和投资，并深化在造船、技术和区域安全领域的合作，”她说道。

2026年9月18日，美国驻韩国大使米歇尔·斯蒂尔在首尔举行的韩美同盟退伍军人大会上发表开幕致辞。（韩联社）

美国第八集团军司令约瑟夫·希尔伯特中将强调，韩美同盟不仅仅是一项仅限于朝鲜半岛的安全协议，而是一项“全面的全球伙伴关系”，这在当今摩擦日益加剧的世界中至关重要。

他在主旨演讲中说：“但不能仅仅将这一联盟理解为仅限于半岛的安全协议。如今，它已成为一项全面的全球伙伴关系。”

希尔伯特强调了威慑在面对多方面的安全挑战时的重要性，包括朝鲜、俄罗斯和中国等威权国家之间日益增长的协调。

他警告说：“朝鲜民主主义人民共和国仍然是一个明确而直接的威胁”，并指出朝鲜的军事野心、武器计划、网络活动和日益增长的对外关系不能孤立地看待，而是具有“超越朝鲜半岛”影响的问题。

“这就是为什么威慑在全球范围内如此重要，也是为什么我们的实际存在、联合战备和已展现的承诺如此重要，”他补充道。朝鲜民主主义人民共和国（DPRK）是朝鲜的正式国名。

希尔伯特还强调，联盟现代化对于在韩国实现威慑所需的态势至关重要。

他说：“目的不是为了改变而改变，而是为了确保这个联盟明天比今天更强大、更迅速、更有能力。”

由美国联盟基金会和韩国国防退伍军人协会主办的年度论坛以“停战协定后驻韩美军的牺牲以及韩美同盟”为主题。

出席者包括退伍军人事务部副部长康允真、前驻韩美军指挥官保罗·拉卡梅拉、伯韦尔·贝尔和罗伯特·艾布拉姆斯，以及朝鲜战争老兵。

sookim@yna.co.kr (完)

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报道称，朝鲜的核试验可能引发了超过1300次地震。

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（第五条）李表示，韩国正在考虑是否向霍尔木兹海峡地区提供援助，但不会卷入战争。

据报道，美国预计将推迟宣布新的产能过剩关税，直至特朗普与习近平峰会之后。

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（导语）美国大使称韩美同盟是朝鲜半岛和平的“关键”