No more 'main enemy' in defense ministry text

The Ministry of National Defense yesterday published a report that substitutes for the controversial defense white paper that was withdrawn earlier this year. The report discusses Korean defense policies from 1998 to 2002.

The biannual white paper has discussed Korea's current defense posture; this year's paper was withheld because of North Korean complaints about earlier use of the term "main enemy" to refer to the North. This report omits the controversial term as it summarizes the defense policies of the Kim Dae-jung administration.

"We decided not to use the term because we value harmony between the North and South," an official at the ministry explained. But the report does not let the North off the hook entirely. "North Korea continues to enhance its military power, and there always exists the possibility of a provocation, for which the South should be fully prepared," one section of the report says.

The document boasts of progress the Korean armed forces have made in such areas as computerization of military information and the reorganization of the structure of Korea's forces. It also mentions the darker side of military life; it discusses an armed robbery committed by a military officer and notes that such cases have undermined public trust in the military.

The report also discusses the military capability of the United States Forces Korea and says in a crisis, a fleet of aircraft carriers and an additional 690,000 U.S. soldiers would be available for combat.

by Kim Min-seok