• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Roh Appeals to Nation to Support Troop Dispatch

2003-04-02

President Roh Moo-hyun on Wednesday (April 2) appealed to the nation to back his troop dispatch plan, saying support for the United States is essential to resolving the North Korean nuclear issue.

"I came to the conclusion that helping the United States in difficult times and solidifying the South Korea-U.S. relations will help a lot in peacefully resolving the North Korean nuclear issue," he said in his first speech at the National Assembly since his inauguration on Feb. 25.

The government plan to dispatch some 700 military engineers and medics to Iraq has been a sensitive issue in the country, where anti-war sentiment is strong and concerns are high that the next target of the U.S. military action may be North Korea. Roh's address came after the parliament delayed a vote on the dispatch motion for a third time last week, facing the fierce opposition among civic groups.

Roh explained that the troop dispatch would boost ties between Seoul and Washington, which have differed at times over how to approach the North's nuclear programs.

"I decided on the dispatch in anguish because the fate of the country and the people would depend on my decision," Roh said.

He added that there would not be a war on the Korean peninsula if the people do not want it. "The United States will not deal with the North Korean nuclear standoff unilaterally."

President Roh, who was elected in December, pledged last year to put the South Korea-U.S. relationship on a more "equal" footing, but his outspoken support for the U.S. campaign in Iraq has disappointed many of his supporters.

"I have been emphasizing equal South Korea-U.S. relationship, but it will only be possible when people's lives are safely guaranteed," Roh said.

The president's speech at the Assembly also addressed economic and other political issues.

"Our decision to deploy forces to Iraq is contributing to clearing the anxieties of the business community, especially foreign investors, about possible discord between Seoul and Washington," Roh said.

He said the government would not conduct target investigations of certain enterprises, but would keep implementing market reform on a steady basis.

For political reform, Roh said there would be no more "political investigation" aimed at clamping down on opposition parties and their lawmakers. "The power apparatus will be reborn into a body serving the people," he said

Source : www.korea.net