Disputes between the U.S. and South Korea over everything from sharing intel on North Korean threats to management of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) have increasingly spilled out into public view, in what looks like a revival of past alliance tensions.

When Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby visited Seoul in January, he described the Republic of Korea (ROK) as a “model ally,” touting the alliance as successfully adapting to an evolving world. 

Yet reporting since then has been less about progress in bilateral security cooperation than its friction points, including President Donald Trump