Seoul says U.S. forces not leaving for Afghanistan
Published: 27 Oct. 2009, 01:47
South Korea yesterday denied a top American military commander’s remarks that Seoul and Washington are discussing the possibility of redeploying some U.S. troops stationed here to Afghanistan.
During his visit to the U.S. Army Garrison in Yongsan, central Seoul, last week, Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, gave a speech to the American troops and participated in a question and answer session. According to the transcript of last Wednesday’s event, Admiral Mullen said the redeployment issue is one of the topics under discussion with the Koreans.
“One of the discussions is with the [tour] normalization which is going to occur, as I said, over the next several years, will we get to a point where forces who are here ? you ? will become part of the rotation?” Mullen said, as he replied to a soldier’s question about a possible redeployment to Afghanistan.
“And, certainly, that’s something that we are looking very specifically at. And, in fact, there have been forces that were here that went to Iraq very early. And we’re in discussion. No decisions with respect to that right now. But it’s a combination of the tour normalization.”
Mullen was in Seoul last week, accompanying U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates for an annual security consultative meeting between Seoul and Washington. About 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea as a deterrent against the North.
“The concern that gets raised with respect to rotating forces out of here when we have this discussion is that it lessens the commitment to the alliance in the Republic of Korea. Nothing could be further from the truth,” Mullen said.
“But there are regional challenges that we have here, and actually they are global challenges, so there is no answer to that question yet. It’s out there and it’s being discussed, and we really haven’t closed on whether it’s going to be one way or another.”
At the National Assembly hearing yesterday, Seoul’s Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan said stabilization of Afghanistan is also directly linked to the stable stationing of U.S. troops in Korea.
He, however, said what Mullen said about the possible relocation of U.S. troops from Korea to the Middle East was not discussed between Washington and Seoul recently.
According to Yu, Korea will expand its support for the reconstruction of Afghanistan. At least 130 more civilian professionals will be sent to the country to participate in Korea’s programs of medical service, vocational education and police training, he said.
“Although no consideration is given to combat troop deployment, we are considering various measures, including sending police troops or soldiers to protect our own reconstruction teams,” Yu said.
The Defense Ministry also denied that it was in talks with the Pentagon on the potential redeployment, which would mark the second time that U.S. troops here have been sent to the Middle East.
By Ser Myo-ja [[email protected]]
During his visit to the U.S. Army Garrison in Yongsan, central Seoul, last week, Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, gave a speech to the American troops and participated in a question and answer session. According to the transcript of last Wednesday’s event, Admiral Mullen said the redeployment issue is one of the topics under discussion with the Koreans.
“One of the discussions is with the [tour] normalization which is going to occur, as I said, over the next several years, will we get to a point where forces who are here ? you ? will become part of the rotation?” Mullen said, as he replied to a soldier’s question about a possible redeployment to Afghanistan.
“And, certainly, that’s something that we are looking very specifically at. And, in fact, there have been forces that were here that went to Iraq very early. And we’re in discussion. No decisions with respect to that right now. But it’s a combination of the tour normalization.”
Mullen was in Seoul last week, accompanying U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates for an annual security consultative meeting between Seoul and Washington. About 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea as a deterrent against the North.
“The concern that gets raised with respect to rotating forces out of here when we have this discussion is that it lessens the commitment to the alliance in the Republic of Korea. Nothing could be further from the truth,” Mullen said.
“But there are regional challenges that we have here, and actually they are global challenges, so there is no answer to that question yet. It’s out there and it’s being discussed, and we really haven’t closed on whether it’s going to be one way or another.”
At the National Assembly hearing yesterday, Seoul’s Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan said stabilization of Afghanistan is also directly linked to the stable stationing of U.S. troops in Korea.
He, however, said what Mullen said about the possible relocation of U.S. troops from Korea to the Middle East was not discussed between Washington and Seoul recently.
According to Yu, Korea will expand its support for the reconstruction of Afghanistan. At least 130 more civilian professionals will be sent to the country to participate in Korea’s programs of medical service, vocational education and police training, he said.
“Although no consideration is given to combat troop deployment, we are considering various measures, including sending police troops or soldiers to protect our own reconstruction teams,” Yu said.
The Defense Ministry also denied that it was in talks with the Pentagon on the potential redeployment, which would mark the second time that U.S. troops here have been sent to the Middle East.
By Ser Myo-ja [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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