The United States will maintain a substantial troop presence and combat capabilities in South Korea, regardless of ongoing discussions to transfer wartime operational control, the State Department said Thursday.
In response to recent reports of American troop reductions and a military realignment in the Asian nation, the department reaffirmed the joint declaration from the South Korea-U.S. summit last November that the presence of U.S. forces in Korea "is essential to the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia."
"Based on 1953 Mutual Defense Treaty, the U.S. has a long-term commitment to the Republic of Korea's defense and to maintaining substantial troop presence there," the department said.
Republic of Korea (ROK) is South Korea's official name.
"As always, we will maintain and enhance our combat capabilities in South Korea through our modernization efforts being carried out there in coordination with the Republic of Korea government."
Close to 30,000 American troops are stationed in South Korea, a legacy of the 1950-1953 Korean War. The two nations have agreed to reduce the number to 25,000 by end of 2008.
Seoul and Washington are negotiating readjustments to their 53-year-old military alliance prompted by South Korea's desire to assume a bigger role in its own defense and by a U.S. need to have its troops available for speedy redeployment should other contingencies arise.
One of the readjustments is for South Korea to keep operational control of its own forces during wartime, which currently would be in the hands of the U.S. commander. While the two sides agree on the transfer of wartime control, they have yet to decide on when it will occur. South Korea proposes 2012, but the U.S. says it can be done as early as 2009.
Critics in South Korea claim that the country is not yet ready to take over wartime control, and that such an arrangement would lead to further reductions of U.S. forces that might put the nation's security at risk.
A senior U.S. defense official said earlier this week that there may be reductions in the size of the American forces there but not to a degree that would compromise their combat capability.
"In no way are we suggesting (a) significant reduction in (the) American commitment to the ROK," the official said, "We are actually increasing our capabilities."
Washington, Aug. 10 (Yonhap News)
U.S. will keep substantial troop presence in South Korea despite adjustments: State Dept. |
