Bush Assures Roh of No Change in Commitment to South Korea’s Security


By Ryu Jin
Staff Reporter

South Korea and the United States have agreed to deploy an infantry brigade of about 4,000 infantrymen stationed here to Iraq, officials said on Monday.

U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor Steve Hadley called up Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Ban Ki-moon to convey the U.S. troop redeployment plan, said Kim Sook, head of the ministry’s North American Bureau, in a briefing. ``Minister Ban expressed understanding of the inevitability of the U.S. plan,’’ he said.

Kim said the U.S. wanted a brigade from the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division to be sent to the Middle East with the number not to exceed 4,000. The 2nd Infantry, the main flag of the 37,000-strong U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), is composed of two infantry brigades and four support brigades.

``The U.S. side said it would take necessary measures to prevent the weakening of the security status here,’’ Kim said.

Meanwhile, U.S. President George W. Bush on Monday telephoned President Roh Moo-hyun to explain the U.S. re-deployment plan.

President Roh confirmed Seoul’s commitment to dispatching its troops to Iraq.

Bush also extended gratitude for Seoul’s decision to send troops to help the U.S. operation for the reconstruction of Iraq.

Officials here said the U.S. move was intended to address the worsening situation in Iraq, and does not signify the commencement of troop reduction here nor a gesture to pressure Seoul to implement its plan to deploy 3,600 soldiers in Iraq as soon as possible.

In Washington, a senior defense official confirmed the Pentagon plan, The Associated Press reported. The news agency quoted the unnamed official as saying ``the shift was not imminent but would be part of the next rotation of American troops in Iraq, which is scheduled to begin late this summer.’’

Long rumored but often denied, the reorganization of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) would mark a historic move by the Pentagon, experts said. It underscores the degree to which the U.S. military, while serving in a region, can be stretched to provide enough forces for other major conflicts.

Analysts said the U.S. plan to deploy its troops here to Iraq is driven by its short-term requirements in the war-torn Middle Eastern nation, but is also closely linked to its long-term global strategy to realign its troop level worldwide under the so-called global defense posture review (GPR).

``The 2nd Infantry Division has been deployed as a fixture in Korea,’’ Kim Sung-han, a professor at the Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security, told The Korea Times. ``The latest development means the division cannot be an exception of the Pentagon plan to reshape its forces’ global presence.’’

He added the U.S. forces, once sent to Iraq, might not return to Korea even after their mission in Iraq were to be completed, which will result in an actual reduction of the USFK by one-tenth.

While indicating its plan to redeploy its forces in Korea, the U.S. reiterated that it would strengthen rather than weaken the allies’ deterrence against the communist North with newer weapons, including Patriot anti-missile systems.

South Korea’s National Security Council (NSC) will have an emergency meeting on Thursday to discuss the U.S. request and the country’s troop dispatch plan, according to officials.

jinryu@koreatimes.co.kr