South Korean Ambassador to U.S. "Washington Wants Stabilization Forces"

Referring to Seoul’s additional troop dispatch to Iraq, the South Korean Ambassador to the U.S., Han Seung-joo , said yesterday, “The United States is actually talking about a dispatch of stabilization forces, rather than a force consisting of either combat soldiers or non-combatants.”

Ambassador Han, who arrived at Incheon International Airport for his participation in the Security Consultative Meeting (SCM), replied to the press who asked about “the U.S.” view on the troop dispatch issue and whether they preferred combat soldiers to non-combatants for which Seoul is considering sending 3,000 soldiers. Han, however, refused to make a concrete response.

As for the definition of word “stabilization,” he explained that it refers to an extensive concept that includes security, rehabilitation, social stability, and so forth.

Ambassador Han said, “The United States is currently trying to make every measure, such as mobilizing their reserved troops, but it is true that there are still some difficulties hanging over this (in sending troops to Iraq).” However, Han estimated that the Unites States is making efforts to fill up the required number of troops without affecting their forces currently stationed in South Korea or Japan.

Concerning the press report in which the U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld raised a question on the plan that the U.S. Army stationed in South Korea should not be transferred to another place away from the Korean Peninsula, Ambassador Han said, “Secretary Rumsfeld might not have meant that the U.S. Forces in Korea were needed in Iraq.”

He also added that there was no official announcement or reaction from the U.S. in reference to the guideline of troop dispatch presented recently by President Roh Moo-hyun.

Young-Sik Kim spear@donga.com