ID :
23032
Tue, 10/07/2008 - 10:03
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/23032
The shortlink copeid
U.S. to maintain current troop level in Korea after OPCON transfer: commander
By Hwang Doo-hyong
WASHINGTON, Oct. 6 (Yonhap) -- The United States will maintain the current level of forces in South Korea after Seoul's retaking of wartime command over its troops from the U.S. in 2012, the commander of U.S. forces in Korea said Monday.
Speaking to reporters after a wreath laying ceremony for U.S. Korean War victims
here, Gen. Walter Sharp said, "The United States is not leaving after the OPCON
transfer," adding that the (South Korea-U.S.) alliance will "continue to stay
strong."
OPCON refers to the operational control of Korean troops, which was transfered to
the U.S. at the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950. Peacetime operational control
was returned to Seoul in 1994.
Sharp was reiterating Washington's position not to further reduce the
28,500-strong U.S. troops stationed in South Korea as a deterrent against a
possible invasion from communist North Korea.
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and U.S. President George W. Bush agreed in
April to maintain the current U.S. troop level, although Lee's liberal
predecessor Roh Moo-hyun pushed ahead with the gradual reduction of U.S. troops
to 25,000 in coming years.
Roh sought greater independence from the U.S. despite criticism by conservatives
that a sharp reduction in U.S. troops may create a loophole in the defense of
South Korea from nuclear-armed North Korea.
Pyongyang detonated its first nuclear device in 2006, and multilateral talks are
underway to persuade the North to abandon its nuclear ambitions in return for
hefty economic benefits and diplomatic recognition.
The U.S. commander dismissed concerns over South Korea's capabilities for
national defense after the OPCON transer, describing the South Korean military as
"extremely capable."
A group of conservative South Korean lawmakers insisted during a parliamentary
session Monday that South Korea postpone the OPCON transfer, fearing it would
make South Korean forces vulnerable against an attack from North Korea.
Talks abounded on a possible delay in the OPCON transfer after the launch of the
Lee government early this year, but the Seoul government says it will adhere to
the original schedule set for April 2012.
hdh@yna.co.kr
(END)
WASHINGTON, Oct. 6 (Yonhap) -- The United States will maintain the current level of forces in South Korea after Seoul's retaking of wartime command over its troops from the U.S. in 2012, the commander of U.S. forces in Korea said Monday.
Speaking to reporters after a wreath laying ceremony for U.S. Korean War victims
here, Gen. Walter Sharp said, "The United States is not leaving after the OPCON
transfer," adding that the (South Korea-U.S.) alliance will "continue to stay
strong."
OPCON refers to the operational control of Korean troops, which was transfered to
the U.S. at the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950. Peacetime operational control
was returned to Seoul in 1994.
Sharp was reiterating Washington's position not to further reduce the
28,500-strong U.S. troops stationed in South Korea as a deterrent against a
possible invasion from communist North Korea.
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and U.S. President George W. Bush agreed in
April to maintain the current U.S. troop level, although Lee's liberal
predecessor Roh Moo-hyun pushed ahead with the gradual reduction of U.S. troops
to 25,000 in coming years.
Roh sought greater independence from the U.S. despite criticism by conservatives
that a sharp reduction in U.S. troops may create a loophole in the defense of
South Korea from nuclear-armed North Korea.
Pyongyang detonated its first nuclear device in 2006, and multilateral talks are
underway to persuade the North to abandon its nuclear ambitions in return for
hefty economic benefits and diplomatic recognition.
The U.S. commander dismissed concerns over South Korea's capabilities for
national defense after the OPCON transer, describing the South Korean military as
"extremely capable."
A group of conservative South Korean lawmakers insisted during a parliamentary
session Monday that South Korea postpone the OPCON transfer, fearing it would
make South Korean forces vulnerable against an attack from North Korea.
Talks abounded on a possible delay in the OPCON transfer after the launch of the
Lee government early this year, but the Seoul government says it will adhere to
the original schedule set for April 2012.
hdh@yna.co.kr
(END)
