hankyoreh

Defense Minister Kim Jang-soo on Friday criticized the top U.S. military commander here for making "inappropriate" remarks in the U.S. Senate with regard to how much Seoul should contribute to the stationing of his troops.

In a Senate hearing earlier this week in Washington, Gen. B. B. Bell, commander of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) said the fate of the ongoing work to relocate U.S. military bases on the Korean Peninsula may hinge on whether South Korea is willing to increase its financial burden.

"Without more equitable allied SMA (Special Measures Agreement) funding, we may be forced to recommend a range of fiscal measures to the U.S. government, including a review of base relocation and consolidation plans," Bell said.

Kim expressed regret over Bell's comments.

"It was inappropriate for the commander to talk about the possibility of reviewing the base relocation project that was agreed with the South Korean government," Kim said in a press briefing.

Kim said the USFK chief's remarks appeared aimed at seeking more financial support from the U.S. government to push for the base relocation more smoothly, rather than targeting the South Korean authorities. "Nonetheless, it was inappropriate," he said.

South Korea and the U.S. decide how to split the cost for the presence of American soldiers on the peninsula, currently totaling around 29,500, through irregular talks.

As recently as last December, Seoul agreed to pay 725.5 billion won (US$790 million) to Washington next year and the same amount in 2008 with an adjustment for inflation under the SMA.

Bell said the USFK needs more money for a multi-billion-dollar project to move U.S. troops in Seoul and all points north to a remodeled and greatly expanded Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of the capital, by as late as 2012. It is estimated to cost 11 trillion won (US$11.7 billion).

On his latest talks with Chinese Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan, meanwhile, Kim said he asked Beijing for help in returning South Korean prisoners of war (POWs) from North Korea.

More than 500 South Korean POWs are believed to stay in the North as a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War. Some of them cross the border to take shelter in China and seek ways of returning to South Korea.

"Meeting with Chinese Defense Minister Cao, I emphasized that they should not be repatriated to North Korea, given their special status," Kim said. "Minister Cao expressed his intention to support (Seoul's efforts)." He did not elaborate, however. The minister came back on Thursday from a four-day trip to Beijing and Shanghai.
Seoul, April 27 (Yonhap News)