A former top U.S. military official has stirred up controversy in South Korea after stating in a media interview that Seoul and Washington should update their war plans to address “significantly" increasing threats from China, not just North Korea.

The remarks by General Robert Abrams, the recently retired former commander of the U.N. Command (UNC), Combined Forces Command (CFC) and U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), have drawn criticism from South Korean progressives as well as Seoul’s defense ministry, even as conservatives have voiced support for the idea.