USFK commander's remarks not beneficial to bilateral relations: officials

Posted on : 2007-04-25 21:22 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST

Remarks by the top U.S. military commander, hinting that the ongoing base relocation plan could be adversely affected if South Korea fails to foot more of the bill to sustain American troops, drew fire from Korean government officials on Wednesday.

"The remarks by Gen. Burwell Bell are not helpful to bilateral interests," said a senior government policymaker.

He said that the commander's statement could be misinterpreted, and claimed that there was a lack of "balance" in the way the officer looked at the issue. This, the official said, is regrettable.

The top officer of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), expressed dissatisfaction with the cost-sharing arrangement at a Senate hearing in Washington on Tuesday. The special measures agreement (SMA) outlines the cost shared to maintain the USFK.

Washington has maintained that Seoul should pay for half of the upkeep of maintaining American troops on the Korean Peninsula. As of this year, South Korea agreed to pay for roughly 41 percent of the cost for the stationing of 27,000 U.S. troops in the country.

The USFK is a relic of the Korean War (1950-1953). The base relocation and consolidation plan is part of a broader change in the alliance that calls for Seoul to become the main player in the defense against possible aggression by North Korea.

One outcome of this change is the agreement to transfer wartime operational control of Korean forces to Seoul by 2012. The control currently sits with the USFK commander.

Other officials at in the defense ministry also said Gen. Bell had not told his South Korean colleagues of what he planned to say at the hearing.

"It is a pity that Bell commented on the sensitive issue without at least running the idea by the South Korean military." an insider said.

Related to the SMA, South Korea's Foreign Minister Song Min-soon said earlier in the day that Seoul is open and ready to discuss any moves that can improve sharing the cost of U.S. troops in the country.

Seoul, April 25 (Yonhap News)