Rumsfeld to Make Maiden Trip to Seoul
ROK Ministry of Unification
2003-09-01
U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will visit Seoul for the annual ROK-U.S. Security Consultative Meeting in October, an official from Defense Ministry said on Sunday (Aug. 31).
The trip will be Rumsfeld's first visit to South Korea since the Bush administration was inaugurated January 2001.
South Korean officials said Rumsfeld is expected to deal with a wide range of issues, such as Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program and the relocation of forward-deployed U.S. troops in South Korea.
Rumsfeld is regarded as a leader of the hawks in the administration led by George W. Bush, pushing for tougher action against Pyongyang and for an early relocation of troops that has long served as a "tripwire" against Northern aggression.
Earlier this year, defense officials from the two countries held three rounds of talks and agreed to move U.S. troops from the border with North Korea as well as its headquarters to areas south of Seoul.
The countries said they will determine the details of the U.S. troop relocation at the Security Consultative Meeting.
Foreign news agencies report that Rumsfeld's visit to Seoul will be part of an Asian tour that includes Japan, Australia and the Philippines.
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