F-16 replacements for Apaches to be stationed south of Seoul

By Sam Kim
SEOUL, Feb. 19 (Yonhap) -- The United States said Thursday it has chosen an
airbase south of Seoul to station an F-16 fleet that will arrive here this
weekend to replace a squadron of Apache attack helicopters scheduled to be
relocated out of South Korea.
The U.S. said last month it has decided to deploy a dozen F-16s instead of A-10
attack aircraft to replace 24 AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopters that are to
return to the U.S. in March for future redeployment to Iraq and Afghanistan. The
U.S. Air Force cited the need to inspect its A-10s for newly discovered
structural problems.
"The USAF F-16s are to be deployed to Suwon AB this weekend as replacements for
AH-64s," the U.S. Forces Korea said in a press release. Suwon is about 20
kilometers south of Seoul.
About 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea as a deterrent against
North Korea -- a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War that ended in a truce rather
than a peace treaty.
samkim@yna.co.kr
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