The research arm of the U.S. Congress has clarified that the U.S. military presence in South Korea is aimed at keeping North Korea in check and not related to China.

The Congressional Research Service(CRS) made the clarification in its report released on Tuesday that included an analysis of U.S. troop deployment west of the date line, stating that U.S. Forces Korea is focused on deterring and resisting potential aggression by North Korea.

The report said, however, that the U.S. military presence in some other Asia-Pacific countries, such as Japan and Australia, is perceived as a response to China’s attempts to reshape the region in line with the U.S.’ defense priority of countering the multi-domain threat posed by Beijing.

Meanwhile, the CRS report noted that the expansion and diversification of North Korea’s nuclear and missile weapons capabilities is posing a growing threat to not only the U.S. mainland and overseas U.S. troops but also the country’s allies and partners.