ID :
77416
Fri, 08/28/2009 - 20:00
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/77416
The shortlink copeid
U.S. concerned about Seoul's defense budget, minister's letter says
By Sam Kim
SEOUL, Aug. 28 (Yonhap) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates expressed
discontent last year over the scale of South Korea's defense spending, saying
Seoul was seeking a free ride on its alliance with the U.S., according to a
controversial letter of the South Korean defense minister made public in local
media Friday.
In the letter sent to President Lee Myung-bak earlier this week, Defense Minister
Lee Sang-hee said Gates mentioned South Korea's low investment in defense
spending sometime last year before expressing concern that Seoul may be trying to
"free-ride" on its military alliance with Washington.
Lee also said in the letter that then U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld
complained in 2006 that South Korea was setting aside only 2.7 percent of its
gross domestic product for defense spending despite its realistic security
threats, compared with a corresponding rate of 4 percent in the U.S.
The U.S. Department of Defense did not immediately return an email seeking comment.
The U.S. has 28,500 troops 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.
The letter went public in local media outlets as controversy continued to boil
over whether Lee stepped out of line in protesting the presidential secretariat's
alleged attempt to downsize the nation's defense spending for next year.
According to a source in Seoul, the government is considering allowing the
Ministry of National Defense less than half the 7.9 percent increase in funding
it had sought in July for 2010.
In the four-page letter also sent to top presidential aides and the finance
ministry, Minister Lee said the scale-down would undermine troop morale and the
armed strength of the country in the eyes of its neighbors, especially North
Korea.
He also described his deputy -- a finance expert who bypassed him in proposing a
cut to the government -- as "the tail wagging the dog."
Chang Soo-man, widely considered a confidant of President Lee, was appointed vice
defense minister in January and has vowed to slim down the defense budget.
Another defense source said Chang was summoned to the presidential office Cheong
Wa Dae earlier this month and instructed to rework the proposal for the defense
budget.
The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
Citing the need to cope with North Korea's increasing nuclear and missile
threats, the ministry hoped to receive 30.8 trillion won (US$24 billion) next
year.
If approved, the figure would mark the first time that defense funding has
surpassed the 30-trillion-won mark since the foundation of the country in 1948.
"We are increasingly limited in relying unilaterally on the U.S. armed power,"
Minister Lee said in the letter, calling on President Lee not to slow down or
compromise the country's arms expansion even at times of economic crisis.
samkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
SEOUL, Aug. 28 (Yonhap) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates expressed
discontent last year over the scale of South Korea's defense spending, saying
Seoul was seeking a free ride on its alliance with the U.S., according to a
controversial letter of the South Korean defense minister made public in local
media Friday.
In the letter sent to President Lee Myung-bak earlier this week, Defense Minister
Lee Sang-hee said Gates mentioned South Korea's low investment in defense
spending sometime last year before expressing concern that Seoul may be trying to
"free-ride" on its military alliance with Washington.
Lee also said in the letter that then U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld
complained in 2006 that South Korea was setting aside only 2.7 percent of its
gross domestic product for defense spending despite its realistic security
threats, compared with a corresponding rate of 4 percent in the U.S.
The U.S. Department of Defense did not immediately return an email seeking comment.
The U.S. has 28,500 troops 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.
The letter went public in local media outlets as controversy continued to boil
over whether Lee stepped out of line in protesting the presidential secretariat's
alleged attempt to downsize the nation's defense spending for next year.
According to a source in Seoul, the government is considering allowing the
Ministry of National Defense less than half the 7.9 percent increase in funding
it had sought in July for 2010.
In the four-page letter also sent to top presidential aides and the finance
ministry, Minister Lee said the scale-down would undermine troop morale and the
armed strength of the country in the eyes of its neighbors, especially North
Korea.
He also described his deputy -- a finance expert who bypassed him in proposing a
cut to the government -- as "the tail wagging the dog."
Chang Soo-man, widely considered a confidant of President Lee, was appointed vice
defense minister in January and has vowed to slim down the defense budget.
Another defense source said Chang was summoned to the presidential office Cheong
Wa Dae earlier this month and instructed to rework the proposal for the defense
budget.
The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
Citing the need to cope with North Korea's increasing nuclear and missile
threats, the ministry hoped to receive 30.8 trillion won (US$24 billion) next
year.
If approved, the figure would mark the first time that defense funding has
surpassed the 30-trillion-won mark since the foundation of the country in 1948.
"We are increasingly limited in relying unilaterally on the U.S. armed power,"
Minister Lee said in the letter, calling on President Lee not to slow down or
compromise the country's arms expansion even at times of economic crisis.
samkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
