U.S. Congress: “USFK Repositioning to be Carried Out as Planned”

The Overseas Basing Commission (OSBC) under the U.S. Congress advised on May 9 that the George W. Bush administration should slow down the overall pace of its Global Posture Review (GPR) and reorganize the plan.

OSBC Chairman Al Cornella, however, said at the press interview jointly held with the release of an OSBC report that “it is reasonable that the U.S. withdraw one heavy artillery brigade and reposition the USFK south of the Han River.”

To the question whether the plan to withdraw and reposition the USFK should also be slowed down, he replied, “Currently, there is no problem in the repositioning of the USFK, and everything that happens in the Korean Peninsula is meant to reinforce the USFK.”

In addition, the OSBC report expressed worries that “the recent situation in North Korea, Taiwan, Syria, and Kyrgyzstan tells us that we are living in a fickle era. If we do not control the reposition pace appropriately, new crises may emerge.”

The report did not advise in detail the repositioning plan of the USFK to reduce its strength by 12,500 personnel by 2008.

Soon-Taek Kwon maypole@donga.com