hankyoreh

Jungsoo Jang, Editorial Writer

WASHINGTON D.C.-The next difficult hurdle Korea has to pass as it establishes a setup for peace on the peninsula is the withdrawal of U.S. forces. That is because the withdrawal of the United States Forces Korea (USFK) directly relates to the key issues that are going to be part of the working-level negotiations about the North Korean nuclear program, such as converting the current armistice to a permanent peace treaty, completely abolishing North Korea's nuclear program, and establishing diplomatic relations between Pyongyang and Washington. Reportedly, the U.S. state and defense departments are developing diverse scenarios in response to the fact that a withdrawal of the USFK might be a topic of discussion for the upcoming working-level talks, along with the denuclearization of the peninsula and the signing of a peace accord. You even hear talk about how the U.S. Department of Defense has already developed contingency plans for a withdrawal that would exclude airborne forces but would include some or all of U.S. land forces.

The reasons the U.S. is pursuing a withdrawal of the USFK are somewhat complex. First of all, the plan is part of the Bush administration's reorganization of U.S. troops around the world. The Bush administration, believing that in the wake of the end of the Cold War its troops in Europe and Asia no longer have a role to play, has been redeploying its forces where there are new strategic interests, such as in the Middle East, Central Asia, and Eastern Europe. This signifies that the geopolitical center of gravity for the U.S. has shifted from Europe and East Asia to the Middle East , where the U.S. has vital strategic interests in the oil that is there in more abundance than anywhere else.

U.S. troops in Korea and Japan were exempted from this process because of the North Korean nuclear crisis as well as a strategy of containing China . Now that the situation in Iraq continues to worsen, however, things have changed for the U.S. In addition, now that headway has been made on the North Korean nuclear issue, there is more reason for the U.S. to give serious thought to a withdrawal. It would appear the U.S. wants to significantly reduce its troops in Korea and Japan to be better able to extend its strength to strategic areas such as the Middle East.

The plan to withdraw the USFK also points to a close relationship of cooperation forged between the U.S. and China in the process of resolving the North Korean nuclear crisis. The U.S. thinks that if the nuclear crisis is resolved and there is an improvement in U.S.-China relations, it can maintain its strategic interests in East Asia without stationing expensive land troops in the region. In the early 1970s, U.S. president Richard Nixon suddenly withdrew the 7th Infantry Division of the USFK after he began an historic policy of detente with China . Early on in the Bush administration, the U.S. sought a policy of containing China by strengthening its alliance with Japan , but after the terrorism of September 11th, it quickly turned in a new direction, one that seeks better relations with the Chinese. Sino-American relations quickly grew closer as the North Korean nuclear crisis arrived at the forefront. That is because the Bush administration desired to borrow from Chinese strength to resolve the nuclear issue.

Given the significant place the USFK have held in South Korean security for more than half a century, you can expect there to be a lot of shock in South Korean society just for the fact that withdrawal is even being talked about. South Korea 's conservatives, who have long identified the presence of the USFK and the South's national security as one in the same, could very likely find themselves in a state of disbelief. However, they need to see stark reality for what it is: with the North Korean nuclear crisis resolved, and in the dismantling of the Cold War order that still exists in East Asia , the days when South Korea 's security can be guaranteed by the presence of the USFK are over. That is because with the Iraq situation worsening, the mood in the U.S. is gradually one that calls for East Asian security to be resolved by East Asians.

For South Korea, the withdrawal of the USFK will also become an opportunity for disarmament throughout East Asia, including the two Koreas. This being the case, in the course of the working-level negotiations that are now part of the six-party process, it would be desirable to be proactive enough to link the complete dismantlement of North Korea's nuclear program to reductions in conventional forces, as this will more readily lead to a permanent peace on the Korean peninsula.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]