THE CAMPAIGN FOR THE ACCOUNTABILITY OF AMERICAN BASES

THE CAMPAIGN FOR THE ACCOUNTABILITY OF AMERICAN BASES (CAAB)

US committed to "robust forward presence" on Korean peninsula
WASHINGTON (AFP) May 15, 2003

President George W. Bush promised Wednesday that the United States would retain a "robust forward presence" on the Korean peninsula but pledged to consider repositioning the 37,000-strong US troop garrison within South Korea.

After Bush's crucial first summit with South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun, the two sides also said they would work to reinvigorate their alliance, which turned 50 this year, and would examine an expansion in Seoul's contribution to its own defense.

Strong anti-US sentiment surfaced during Roh's victorious election campaign last year following the deaths of two South Korean schoolgirls in an accident with a US military vehicle.

Some US observers and members of Congress have said the wave of anti-American feeling should prompt the Pentagon to draw down the size of the US garrison or even to relocate it elsewhere in Asia.

But in the face of North Korea's one million strong armed forces and a simmering nuclear crisis, both sides signalled Wednesday that such drastic action was not under consideration.

"President Bush reaffirmed the US commitment to a robust forward presence on the peninsula and in the Asia-Pacific region," said a written joint statement issued after the talks at the White House.

"The two leaders agreed to work out plans to consolidate US forces around key hubs and to relocate the Yongsan garrison at an early date."

Yongsan, a vast network of US bases in Seoul, serves as the headquarters for US forces in the country but is also the source of growing public complaints about its location in the downtown core.

"President Bush pledged to consult closely with President Roh on the appropriate posture for (US forces in Korea) during the transition to a more capable and sustainable US military presence on the peninsula," the statement said.

"They shared the view that the relocation of US bases north of the Han River should be pursued, taking careful account of the political, economic and security situation on the peninsula and in Northeast Asia."

Bases north of the river, have formed part of the "tripwire" concept which for decades has guaranteed any US involvement should North Korean forces stage an invasion directed towards Seoul.

But as the Pentagon retrenches its global troop presence for the 21st century, top military brass and some members of Congress believe the concept is obsolete, arguing that any war on the peninsula would inevitably involve US troops, wherever they were based.

Bush and Roh "also noted the opportunity provided by the Republic of Korea's growing national strength to continue expanding the role of the ROK (South Korea) armed forces in defending the Korean Peninsula," the statement said.

Bush also thanked Roh for his support of the US-led war in Iraq, an unpopular position at home.

After the 30-minute talks, Roh emerged smiling to make post-summit comments in the White House Rose Garden before joining a dinner.

"We have reached an agreement that the South Korea-US alliance have been maintained over the past 50 years and it will become more strengthened over the next 50 years and even more," Roh said.

He added: "When I left Korea, I had both concerns and hopes in my mind. After talking with Bush, I got rid of them. I am returning home with only hope, after discarding concerns."

The summit was the highlight of the South Korean leader's fence-mending US trip which began on Sunday.