U.S. Confirms Its Pledge to Defend S. Korea.

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Tuesday (local time), “The defense policy of the United State on South Korea is firm and it is entirely up to South Korea to decide whether or not to send troops to Iraq.”

Speaking at a closed-door meeting of financial leaders from the two countries as a guest speaker in the Renaissance Mayflower Hotel, Washington, he said as above. South Korea and the U.S. will improve the security environment of South Korea by strengthening military capability of ROK-U.S. Combined Forces, a participant at the meeting quoted him as saying.

Asked about the relocation of the U.S. Second Division stationed in South Korea and possibility of reducing of the U.S. troops, he responded that “A half million U.S. soldiers were sent to Iraq during the first Gulf War, but we could carry out the Iraq War more effectively with 150,000 soldiers.” “The relocation of the second Division is a process to improve the security environment in the South East Asia. In the future, war will be different. Thus, South Korea should change its defense approach and make the forces modernized," Rumsfeld added.

“To pursue economic prosperity, the security must be healthy and in that sense, the ROK-U.S. Security Alliance must be strong. In particular, the U.S. will strengthen the ROK-U.S. mutual assistance even stronger, in order to improve investment environments,” Rumsfeld emphasized.

“In order to deter a war in the Korean Peninsula, the change will be made after ample discussions on how to improve military capability by integrating the new technology,” he continued.

Meanwhile, Rumsfeld avoided mentioning any specifics of the additional dispatch of South Korea South, saying, “whether or not to send troops to contribute to the post-war Iraq is totally up to South Korea.”

Jin Lee leej@donga.com