Germany joined the U.S.-led United Nations Command (UNC) in South Korea on Friday, becoming the 18th nation in a group that helps police the heavily fortified border with North Korea and has committed to defend the South in the event of a war.
The move is evidence of Berlin's strong belief that European security is closely linked to security in the Indo-Pacific region, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius told a ceremony at the main U.S. military headquarters in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul.
"I'm convinced that especially in times like these, when the world is shaped by crises and wars, we need to show unity, we need to stand firm against those who want to undermine peace and stability, against those who attack our common order," he said.
Many UNC members, among them Australia, Britain, Turkey and the United States, sent troops or contributed medical support during the 1950-53 Korean War.
Established in 1950, the UNC was mandated to restore peace and enforce the armistice while serving as a channel of communication with North Korea.
It is led by the commander of the U.S. military stationed in South Korea and is not affiliated with the United Nations.
"The addition of Germany diversifies the perspectives and resources available to the United Nations Command and enhances our collective expertise and capabilities," said U.S. Army General Paul LaCamera, commander of the UNC and United States Forces Korea.
South Korea and the United States see the UNC as one of the institutions that matter more today than a few years ago as autocracies around the globe compete with democracies, said Ramon Pacheco Pardo of King's College in London.
"On top of that, Germany now sees South Korea as one of its two top Asian partners," said the international relations expert.
Tobias Bacherle, a member of Germany's parliamentary foreign affairs committee, said the "brutal effects" of North Korea's recent military cooperation with Russia show countries must stand against such autocratic alliances globally.
The United States and its allies have accused Russia of deploying North Korean-made weapons, including ballistic missiles and artillery shells, in Ukraine.
"It illustrates how closely intertwined security situations across different parts of the world are," Bacherle told Reuters by email.
REGIONAL TENSION
China and the Soviet Union backed the North in combat against the U.N. member states led by the United States during the Korean War. China and North Korea are parties to the armistice with the UNC.
Last year, North Korea called the UNC "a U.S. tool for confrontation" that had nothing to do with the United Nations and an "illegal war organisation" that must be dissolved.
China has also expressed concern about growing ties between NATO members and Asian nations such as Japan, the Philippines and South Korea.
Last month, China's foreign ministry urged NATO not to "create chaos in the Asia-Pacific after creating turmoil" in Europe.
When asked about concerns that increased military ties among European countries in the region could exacerbate tension, Pistorius told reporters there was "no reason to feel provoked by this decision".
A specific role for German troops on the peninsula has yet to be determined, said a German embassy spokesperson in Seoul.
