Newsday (New York) June 06, 2003
U.S. Troops to Leave Korea DMZ
By Craig Gordon
Washington - Agreeing to abandon bases it has occupied since the Korean War, the United States said yesterday that it would begin pulling troops away from the demilitarized zone that separates its ally South Korea from North Korea.
The troops eventually will be moved about 75 miles south of the demilitarized zone, well out of the way of the thousands of artillery weapons on the North Korean side of the border, U.S. and South Korean officials said in a joint statement after two days of talks.
About 37,000 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea, and they are abandoning the front-line bases for the first time since the end of Korean War in 1953. The move will be carried out in two steps, with a first consolidation into two camps north of Seoul within a year and eventually another move into "hub" bases south of the capital. That could take three to five years.
South Korean officials have been concerned about U.S. troop presence in populated areas in the country, especially on some prime real estate around Seoul, so they have pushed for some consolidation of U.S. forces. U.S. troops will continue to train near the DMZ, which is 2 miles wide and 155 miles long, according to the joint statement.
The announcement comes at a time of heightened tension on the Korean peninsula, with North Korea suspected of pursuing a nuclear weapons program despite agreeing almost a decade ago not to do so. Several U.S-based Korea analysts said they believed the move could be interpreted by North Korea as a possible precursor to a U.S. attack - or by South Koreans as a weakening of U.S. resolve to protect their nation that could make it more vulnerable.
Pentagon officials deny both charges, saying that moving the troops out of artillery range would make them less vulnerable to a North Korean strike - and even improve their ability to defend South Korea by allowing them to retaliate more effectively than if they were in the line of fire.
"If there were to be an attack from the north, one of the first things they would have to do is move south of the Han River [and Seoul] and consolidate, so the idea here is to put them a step ahead ... to have a fighting force ready to go at a moment's notice," said one Pentagon official, speaking on condition of anonymity. This official also denied the move was a first step toward reducing U.S. troop presence in South Korea, saying that hasn't been discussed by the two countries.
The shift is part of a global reorganization of U.S. military forces promoted by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and designed to move U.S. troops out of basing arrangements that often date back to the Cold War. Instead, Rumsfeld wants basing that, by being less scattered in many remote areas, makes U.S. troops more flexible and mobile, able to respond quickly to terrorism and other emerging threats.
The United States also agreed last week to spend $11 billion over three years to strengthen forces in South Korea, with improvements to intelligence-collecting and weapons upgrades along with the deployment of special forces.
Because President George W. Bush labeled North Korea a member of the "axis of evil" last year, along with Iran and Iraq, some military analysts have questioned whether Bush might consider a pre-emptive strike against North Korea much like the one carried out against Iraq.
But U.S. officials have said repeatedly that they have no immediate plans for military action against North Korea, despite the nuclear impasse, and several Korea analysts said such an attack seemed especially unlikely now, with signs in recent weeks that the United States and North Korea are willing to talk. Still, some worried that the redeployment might send confusing messages that would only heighten tension on the peninsula.
"It may send a signal to the North Koreans that the Americans aren't really serious about defending Seoul, so this may convince North Korea to keep up their threatening" talk about a nuclear program, said Ralph Cossa, an expert on the region and president of the Honolulu-based Pacific Forum of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Doug Bandow, a senior fellow with the Cato Institute who has written a book on the U.S.-Korean military situation, said the American troops in the area are little more than a "tripwire" in case North Korea attacks but questions how effective they could be if they are so far away from the border, one of the most heavily armed in the world.
"The primary role is simply a question of symbolism, so if you don't want to play that symbolism, why do you have them there at all?" he said.
Changes in Korea
The United States has agreed to pull back troops from bases north of Seoul. Armed forces on the Korean peninsula:
North Korea South Korea U. S.
Active personnel 1,080,000 550,000 37,500
Reserves 600,000 600,000 n/a
Battle tanks 3,500 2,280 116
Fighting vehicles 2,500 2,480 126
Artillery 10,000 6,387 45
Air defense guns 11,000 270 n/a
Combat aircraft 594 470 100
Attack helicopters 24 150 n/a
Combat ships 159 169 n/a
SOURCES: Periscope, www.globalsecurity.org
GRAPHIC: Los Angeles Times/Newsday Chart/Map - Changes in Korea: The United States has agreed to pull back troops form bases north of Seoul. Armed forces on the Korean Peninsula (see end of text); Map-Location of demilitarized zone near Seoul (not in text database).
Copyright © 2003, Newsday, Inc.
