Reduction of U.S. Forces in Korea to be Completed by 2007

A total of 5,000 soldiers of the U.S. Forces in Korea will be removed this year from the Second Division Command, including the 3,500 in the Second Brigade of the Second Division who were transferred to Iraq, and the support unit troops in the Eighth Army.

The relocation of the remaining 7,500 of a total of 12,500 U.S. forces that the U.S. plans to reduce will be done between 2005 and 2007.

South Korea and the U.S. held its 11th Future of the Alliance (FOTA) meeting on Friday in Seoul and agreed to the above. In the meeting, the two countries decided to process the U.S. forces relocation, with the exception of some units, according to the schedule (2004-2006) as agreed last year to transfer the 10 major U.S. tasks to the Korean army. The relocation of these excluded units will be further discussed without being tied down to the schedule. As a result, there is a high possibility that the complete relocation will be delayed until 2007. In particular, the U.S. multiple rocket launcher unit, which is the countermeasure to the North Korean long-range missiles, and the Paladin Mobile Artillery Unit will be retrieved in August 2005 after evaluating the Korean army’s capabilities and if the Korean army agrees to their retrievals. An official in the National Defense Ministry said, “These units will be relocated only with agreement from the Korean army and because of this, the relocation time could be delayed to 2006 or 2007.” However, one Apache attack helicopter unit will be relocated in 2005 as planned. The other two Apache helicopter units will upgrade their helicopters to state-of-the art helicopters, the AH-64D Longbows. The two countries decided they would confirm the time to complete the U.S. forces relocation at the Annual Korea-U.S. Security Consultative Meeting that will be held late October of next year. Also, Ahn Gwang-chan, a chief delegate of Korea and director of the Strategy Division at the Defense Ministry, and Richard Lawless, a chief delegate of the U.S. and U.S. deputy assistant secretary of Defense, Asian and Pacific affairs, signed provisional versions of the Universal Agreement and the Implementation of Agreement to relocate the U.S. Army base currently located in Yongsan, Seoul.

Ho-Won Choi bestiger@donga.com