ID :
48554
Tue, 03/03/2009 - 07:19
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/48554
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(LEAD) S. Korea, U.S. hold security talks amid tension with N. Korea
SEOUL, March 2 (Yonhap) -- Military officials of South Korea and the United States met in Seoul on Monday to coordinate the transfer of wartime operational command and the relocation of U.S. troops stationed in the country, the Ministry of Defense said.
Seoul and Washington have regularly hosted their Security Policy Initiative (SPI)
talks since 2005 to discuss military issues between the allies. Monday's talks,
the 21st of the kind, coincided with rare military talks held between North Korea
and the U.S.-led United Nations Command, during which Pyongyang criticized South
Korea-U.S. joint military drills set for March 9-20.
The closed-door SPI talks, led by Jeon Jei-guk, South Korea's deputy defense
minister for policy, and David Sedney, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of
defense, continued for five hours, but details are not yet available, ministry
officials said.
Other officials said earlier in the day that top agenda items included the
transfer of wartime command to South Korea from the U.S. South Korea relinquished
control of its troops to the U.S. during the 1950-53 Korean War. Peacetime
control was returned in 1994, while wartime command is set to be reclaimed in
2012.
The allies plan to introduce a new plan this summer when they hold the joint
Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercise, allowing South Korea to take the lead in its own
defense.
Another main agenda item was the scheduled relocation of frontline U.S. bases to
south of Seoul by 2016, officials said.
Meanwhile, another source said that as far as he knew, an unidentified U.S.
military official in charge of Afghan affairs attended the meeting.
It is very unusual for such an official to join the SPI meeting, the source said.
"I have yet to know what specific remarks the official made at the meeting, but
assume that he gave a briefing on the situation in Afghanistan and additional
U.S. troop dispatch," the source said.
In particular, the official might have explained roles the U.S. expects South
Korea to undertake in the war-ravaged country in the future, according to the
source.
South Korea brought its 200-strong contingent of military medics and engineers
home in 2007 after several years of service in the central Asian nation.
While in Seoul late last month, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said
Washington will continue to hold talks with Seoul regarding South Korea's future
role in Afghanistan.
"We know that the Korean government understands the importance of stabilizing and
reconstructing Afghanistan. We will continue to consult with the Korean
government as we go forward with our policy review," Clinton said.
The Monday talks were held amid heightened regional tension surrounding North
Korea's preparations to launch what is believed by neighboring nations to be a
long-range missile, although it claims it is a communications satellite.
Earlier in the day, at the first high-level talks with the United Nations Command
in more than six years, North Korea voiced routine criticism against a planned
South Korea-U.S. joint military exercise, a defense source said.
The half-hour meeting at the inter-Korean truce village of Panmunjom ended
without a tangible agreement on reducing border tension, the source said.
hkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
Seoul and Washington have regularly hosted their Security Policy Initiative (SPI)
talks since 2005 to discuss military issues between the allies. Monday's talks,
the 21st of the kind, coincided with rare military talks held between North Korea
and the U.S.-led United Nations Command, during which Pyongyang criticized South
Korea-U.S. joint military drills set for March 9-20.
The closed-door SPI talks, led by Jeon Jei-guk, South Korea's deputy defense
minister for policy, and David Sedney, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of
defense, continued for five hours, but details are not yet available, ministry
officials said.
Other officials said earlier in the day that top agenda items included the
transfer of wartime command to South Korea from the U.S. South Korea relinquished
control of its troops to the U.S. during the 1950-53 Korean War. Peacetime
control was returned in 1994, while wartime command is set to be reclaimed in
2012.
The allies plan to introduce a new plan this summer when they hold the joint
Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercise, allowing South Korea to take the lead in its own
defense.
Another main agenda item was the scheduled relocation of frontline U.S. bases to
south of Seoul by 2016, officials said.
Meanwhile, another source said that as far as he knew, an unidentified U.S.
military official in charge of Afghan affairs attended the meeting.
It is very unusual for such an official to join the SPI meeting, the source said.
"I have yet to know what specific remarks the official made at the meeting, but
assume that he gave a briefing on the situation in Afghanistan and additional
U.S. troop dispatch," the source said.
In particular, the official might have explained roles the U.S. expects South
Korea to undertake in the war-ravaged country in the future, according to the
source.
South Korea brought its 200-strong contingent of military medics and engineers
home in 2007 after several years of service in the central Asian nation.
While in Seoul late last month, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said
Washington will continue to hold talks with Seoul regarding South Korea's future
role in Afghanistan.
"We know that the Korean government understands the importance of stabilizing and
reconstructing Afghanistan. We will continue to consult with the Korean
government as we go forward with our policy review," Clinton said.
The Monday talks were held amid heightened regional tension surrounding North
Korea's preparations to launch what is believed by neighboring nations to be a
long-range missile, although it claims it is a communications satellite.
Earlier in the day, at the first high-level talks with the United Nations Command
in more than six years, North Korea voiced routine criticism against a planned
South Korea-U.S. joint military exercise, a defense source said.
The half-hour meeting at the inter-Korean truce village of Panmunjom ended
without a tangible agreement on reducing border tension, the source said.
hkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
