Review of Future Position of U.S. Troops after Resolving N.K. Nuclear Crisis

"Talk about the realignment of American troops stationed in South Korea has been deferred or avoided, but now is the time for South Korea to declare it will initiate the talk about it after it first resolve the North Korea nuclear crisis," South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun said on Thursday.

At a meeting of presidential senior secretaries and advisors, President Roh said, "The government and the Korean public want the U.S. Yongsan Garrison to be relocated as soon as possible and the future position of the U.S. Second Infantry Division to be reviewed after the North Korea nuclear issue is resolved," according to Choeng Wa Dae spokeswoman Song Koung-hee.

Mr. Roh added: "There is an argument that if North Korea`s nuclear threat is removed, then the military budget should be reduced. However, because the security environment in East Asia is unstable, Korea should achieve self-defense over the long term."

Regarding this, the spokeswoman explained that the president put emphasis on the words, "over the long term" while Ra Jong-il, presidential senior advisor for national security, said that he talked about a kind of principle.

Jeong-Hun Kim jnghn@donga.com