ID :
44565
Fri, 02/06/2009 - 21:07
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/44565
The shortlink copeid
US commander proposes army corps command stay in S. Korea: lawmaker
(ATTN: RECASTS lead to clarify the recipient of proposal)
By Sam Kim
SEOUL, Feb. 6 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean lawmaker on Friday quoted the American
commander of combined forces here as having proposed to the Pentagon that the
command of a key U.S. army corps remain in the country even after Seoul reclaims
full control of its troops in 2012.
Officials at the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command could not confirm
whether Gen. Walter Sharp made the comment during a luncheon session with a group
of South Korean lawmakers.
The lawmaker -- who declined to be named because the meeting took place behind
closed doors -- said Sharp proposed that the Eighth U.S. Army command remain in
South Korea rather than move to Hawaii as part of a U.S. global realignment plan.
The issue of maintaining a three-star U.S. commander in South Korea carries a
psychological significance, analysts say, because it would help ease concerns
over the effectiveness of joint war deterrence against North Korea after the
transfer of wartime control.
About 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea as a legacy of the 1950-53
Korean War that ended in a truce rather than a peace treaty. South Korea allowed
the U.S. to take control of its troops during the war, after which only peacetime
control was returned.
The two sides have agreed to restore wartime control by 2012, but the plan has
been the subject of intense criticism from conservatives here who fear a
reduction in joint readiness.
Defense officials, including Sharp, profess the allied combat effectiveness will
not be compromised, because the troop level will remain the same.
"It is largely symbolic," the lawmaker said, adding Sharp believes the proposal
appears likely to be approved by the Department of Defense.
"Sharp seems to have made the proposal after considering the close relations the
Eighth U.S. Army has developed with the South Korean military," the lawmaker
added.
Sharp heads the Combined Forces Command and the United States Forces Korea. Lt.
Gen. Joseph Fil Jr. heads the Eighth U.S. Army.
samkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
By Sam Kim
SEOUL, Feb. 6 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean lawmaker on Friday quoted the American
commander of combined forces here as having proposed to the Pentagon that the
command of a key U.S. army corps remain in the country even after Seoul reclaims
full control of its troops in 2012.
Officials at the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command could not confirm
whether Gen. Walter Sharp made the comment during a luncheon session with a group
of South Korean lawmakers.
The lawmaker -- who declined to be named because the meeting took place behind
closed doors -- said Sharp proposed that the Eighth U.S. Army command remain in
South Korea rather than move to Hawaii as part of a U.S. global realignment plan.
The issue of maintaining a three-star U.S. commander in South Korea carries a
psychological significance, analysts say, because it would help ease concerns
over the effectiveness of joint war deterrence against North Korea after the
transfer of wartime control.
About 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea as a legacy of the 1950-53
Korean War that ended in a truce rather than a peace treaty. South Korea allowed
the U.S. to take control of its troops during the war, after which only peacetime
control was returned.
The two sides have agreed to restore wartime control by 2012, but the plan has
been the subject of intense criticism from conservatives here who fear a
reduction in joint readiness.
Defense officials, including Sharp, profess the allied combat effectiveness will
not be compromised, because the troop level will remain the same.
"It is largely symbolic," the lawmaker said, adding Sharp believes the proposal
appears likely to be approved by the Department of Defense.
"Sharp seems to have made the proposal after considering the close relations the
Eighth U.S. Army has developed with the South Korean military," the lawmaker
added.
Sharp heads the Combined Forces Command and the United States Forces Korea. Lt.
Gen. Joseph Fil Jr. heads the Eighth U.S. Army.
samkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
