A top US general’s description of South Korea as a “dagger in the heart of Asia” aimed at China has laid bare the differences in how Washington and Seoul view their alliance and Beijing.

US Forces Korea commander General Xavier Brunson made the blunt remarks in a podcast interview hosted by the US Army War College on May 22, drawing a backlash both from Beijing and from Seoul itself.

South Korea’s presidential office said on Saturday that it was “aware” of Brunson’s remarks and that close consultations between the two allies were ongoing. Behind the scenes, however, Seoul reportedly conveyed its greater regret through other channels, including National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac and officials from the ministries of national defence and foreign affairs.

China’s embassy in South Korea was less circumspect, declaring that Brunson had “crossed the line” and questioning whether the general was seeking to undermine the framework of “constructive strategic stability” agreed by the US and Chinese presidents in Beijing just weeks earlier.

It was not Brunson’s first foray into vivid geopolitical imagery. Last year he described South Korea as a “fixed aircraft carrier”. This time, however, the metaphor struck closer to the bone.

Tripwire questioned

At the heart of the dagger row lies a fundamental question: what, exactly, are the 28,500 US troops stationed in South Korea actually there to do?