COHEN / KOREA
Voice of America 4/9/97
BYLINE=DAVID GOLLUST DATELINE=SEOUL CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: THE UNITED STATES AND SOUTH KOREA ARE CONDUCTING HIGH-LEVEL DEFENSE CONSULTATIONS IN SEOUL ON THE SITUATION IN NORTH KOREA. U-S DEFENSE SECRETARY WILLIAM COHEN AND THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF CHAIRMAN, JOHN SHALIKASHVILI, ARE MEETING WITH THEIR SOUTH KOREAN COUNTERPARTS. VOA'S DAVID GOLLUST HAS DETAILS FROM SEOUL. TEXT: THE TWO SIDES ARE EXCHANGING WHAT INFORMATION THEY HAVE ABOUT CONDITIONS INSIDE THE OPAQUE NORTH KOREAN SOCIETY, AND SECRETARY COHEN SAYS THE EVIDENCE IS MOUNTING THAT THE FOOD SITUATION IS VERY SEVERE. THE DEFENSE SECRETARY SPOKE TO REPORTERS AS HE ARRIVED IN SEOUL FOR A ROUND OF BRIEFINGS BY TOP U-S MILITARY COMMANDERS, INCLUDING GENERAL SHALIKASHVILI -- TO BE FOLLOWED THURSDAY BY MEETINGS WITH PRESIDENT KIM YOUNG-SAM AND OTHER SOUTH KOREAN LEADERS. MR. COHEN SAYS THE UNITED STATES' MAIN CONCERN IS THAT THE FOOD CRISIS MIGHT PROMPT A DESPERATE PYONGYANG GOVERNMENT TO LAUNCH A PRE-EMPTIVE MILITARY ACTION AGAINST THE SOUTH. DESPITE ITS DIRE ECONOMIC SITUATION, NORTH KOREA STILL FIELDS THE WORLD'S FOURTH-LARGEST ARMY. MUCH OF IT, INCLUDING HEAVY ARTILLERY AND GROUND-TO-GROUND MISSILES, IS DEPLOYED, NEAR THE DEMILITARIZED ZONE WITHIN STRIKING DISTANCE OF SEOUL. HOWEVER, THE DEFENSE SECRETARY SAYS THE BATTLE READINESS OF NORTH KOREAN FORCES HAS BEEN ERODING IN RECENT YEARS, AND DESPITE A RECENT SET OF LARGE-SCALE MANEUVERS, THERE ARE NO SIGNS AN ATTACK IS IMMINENT. MR. COHEN SAID IF THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION DECIDES TO COMMIT ADDITIONAL FOOD AID TO NORTH, IT WILL BE DONE IN CLOSE CONSULTATION WITH SOUTH KOREA AND JAPAN. HE ALSO SAID THE UNITED STATES IS WARY OF PROVIDING ANY ASSISTANCE THAT WOULD HAVE THE EFFECT OF PROPPING UP NORTH KOREA'S STALINIST GOVERNMENT, WHILE INNOCENT PEOPLE THERE CONTINUED TO STARVE. AS HE DID IN HIS PREVIOUS STOP IN JAPAN, THE DEFENSE SECRETARY IS GIVING ASSURANCES HERE THAT THE FAR-REACHING PENTAGON (U.S. DEFENSE) POLICY REVIEW NOW UNDER WAY, WILL NOT MEAN A REDUCTION IN THE 100-THOUSAND-TROOP U-S PRESENCE IN ASIA. HE SAYS HE WILL TELL PRESIDENT KIM THE 37-THOUSAND AMERICAN SOLDIERS IN SOUTH KOREA WILL REMAIN FOR THE INDEFINITE FUTURE, AS EFFORTS CONTINUE TO BRING THE NORTH KOREANS INTO PROPOSED FOUR-PARTY NEGOTIATIONS. THE GOAL OF THE TALKS WOULD BE TO FASHION A PERMANENT PEACE ACCORD TO REPLACE THE 1950'S KOREAN WAR ARMISTICE. U-S OFFICIALS HAVE BEEN UPSET OVER THE POSSIBILITY SOUTH KOREA MAY BUY RUSSIAN S-A-12 ANTI-AIRCRAFT MISSILES, WHICH THEY SAY ARE NOT INTER-OPERABLE WITH OTHER WEAPONS AND COULD THREATEN AMERICAN AIRCRAFT IN A COMBAT SITUATION. BUT MR. COHEN SOUNDED A CONCILIATORY TONE IN HIS COMMNENTS TO REPORTERS TRAVELLING WITH HIM. HE SAID THE UNITED STATES WOULD NOT OBJECT IF SOUTH KOREA ACQUIRED SOME OF THE MISSILES FOR TESTING PURPOSES -- AND THAT IN ANY CASE, THE ISSUE WILL NOT SIGNIFICANTLY AFFECT AN OVERALL RELATIONSHIP HE CALLED STRONG AND DURABLE. (SIGNED) NEB/DAG/FC/CF 09-Apr-97 6:11 AM EDT (1011 UTC) NNNN.
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