U.S. to pull out most forces from Korean DMZ this year

World Tribune ^ | 4/13/2004

[Rutles4Ever]

Tuesday, April 13, 2004 The U.S. military will withdraw most if its forces from the Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Korea this year, an official announced today.

The withdrawal means the United States will no longer have combat troops anywhere on the DMZ except at Panmunjom, where a U.S.-Korean battalion, commanded by a U.S. army lieutenant colonel, remains on guard in what is known as the Joint Security Area.

Therefore South Korea, which has a 600,000-member military, will face North Korea's armed forces, the world's fifth largest with 1.1 million soldiers, most of whom are concentrated near the DMZ.

The United States will turn over Observation Post Ouellette, which provides a view into North Korea, as part of a force reshuffle, the official said. U.S. forces will no longer guard the border, except except for the troops at the JSA in Panmunjom.

South Korean forces will take over Ouelette, just as they have replaced U.S. forces everywhere else along the DMZ since the Korean War ended in 1953. South Korea officials, however, want the U.S. to keep its troops in the Joint Security Area as symbols of America's commitment to defend the South.

The 2 1/2-mile wide, 151-mile long DMZ, is considered one of the last remaining symbols of the Cold War. However it is still an active war zone with mines, barbed wire and tank traps.

U.S. troops guarding the inter-Korean border have served as a strategic "tripwire" because they are presumed to come under fire during a North Korean attack, thereby prompting U.S. intervention in South Korea's defense.

The United States has about 37,000 troops stationed in South Korea, but has long kept fewer than 200 soldiers along the DMZ, at Observation Post Ouellette and Panmunjom, said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Deborah Bertrand, a spokeswoman for U.S. Forces Korea.

Details on the timing of Ouellette's turnover and the eventual troop level at Panmunjom are still being decided in consultation with South Korea, Bertrand said, adding: "It will be this year."

U.S. Gen. Leon J. LaPorte, joint commander of the U.S. Forces Korea and the United Nations. Command overseeing the cease fire that ended the 1950-53 Korean War, has briefed Congress on U.S. plans to give South Korea more autonomy in its defense.

He said the "Republic of Korea will replace all United States personnel directly involved in security patrols, manning observation posts, and base operations support" along the DMZ, except for Panmunjom, where the United States will maintain command over a battalion of joint U.S.-South Korean forces.

The United States is currently reviewing its military posture in South Korea as part of a global realignment overseen by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld who wants greater flexibility and more emphasis on technology and Special Forces.

Earlier this year, the United States agreed to transfer about 7,000 U.S. forces and their families from its sprawling Yongsan Base in downtown Seoul.

It has also decided to close half of its bases in South Korea — 28 combat and support facilities and three training ranges — and return more than half the land occupied by U.S. forces to South Korea by 2011.

South Koreans have long complained that the U.S. military occupies prime real estate and that its bases near densely populated cities contribute to crime. But the majority support the presence as a deterrent against the North.

Copyright © 2004 East West Services, Inc.

[Rutles4Ever]

I know this was hinted at last fall by the DOD, but I thought this would qualify as breaking news...

[stylin19a]

Anbout time. Another UN mission where the US carrys the load.

I wonder if the next step is a reduction in force.

Course, if the troops leave S.Korea, they'll probably be redeployed in the mideast.

[boxerblues]

Curious to know exactly which bases and where they are going to relocate these guys . My son is over there at Hovey

[onedoug]

Let the South chew on this for awhile.

[G L Tirebiter]

Let the South chew on this for awhile.

And the Germans, too.

The times, they are a changin'.

[vpintheak]

This is a good decision. Soon we will see if Lil' Kimmy tries anything. We just better make sure that the UN comes in if he does /sarcasm.

[BillyCrockett]

"This is a good decision. Soon we will see if Lil' Kimmy tries anything. We just better make sure that the UN comes in if he does /sarcasm."

If lil Kim does try anything he'll be just amazed at how fast all of his military assets disappear. It'll make "Shock N Awe" look like a family barbeque. And, I doubt if even one weapon is nuclear. When we can dial in GPS coordinates WAY ahead of time, of N Korean targets, all ya got to do is sit back and watch. A N Korean war would be from the air for sure. 3 weeks. POOF!

[Carry_Okie]

Bait?

[Bulldog1967]

"Therefore South Korea, which has a 600,000-member military, will face North Korea's armed forces, the world's fifth largest with 1.1 million soldiers, most of whom are concentrated near the DMZ. "


Sounds to me like the NK army needs more troops!

[demlosers]

Troops to move south out so they can be out of reach from NK's artillery.

[jaykay]

To the new DMZ around Fallujah? Hopefully not for 50 years.

[ThermoNuclearWarrior]

Let the ungrateful bastards fend for themselves. They want our Military defense and that's it. Remember how much anti-American BS was coming out of the leadership in South Korean, before the Bush administration started getting tough with them about moving our troops around. They were worried we were going to pull our troops completely off the Korean peninsula and they got worried. Luckily it seems they got the message we were sick of their BS and we weren't going to give them defense for nothing. That's the ONLY reason they have sent troops to Iraq now. They want our soldiers to fight and die for them, but they want the right to run them into the ground in the meant time.

http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/nation/200404/kt2004041317095611970.htm

[johnb838]

I thought there were 100K rail-mounted artillery tubes in caves in N. Korea, loaded and locked in on Seoul, that are untouchable by conventional means.

[ASA Vet]

Let me guess. You got some bad kim chee?

[LurkedLongEnough]

Protests precede Cheney trip to S. Korea...(from Drudge) - I wonder who made their welcome signs for them.

[Tailgunner Joe]

"South Korea remains committed to deploying troops to Iraq despite the surge in violence there, but their task will remain purely reconstruction, the country's foreign minister said on Monday."

[spetznaz]

When we can dial in GPS coordinates WAY ahead of time, of N Korean targets, all ya got to do is sit back and watch. A N Korean war would be from the air for sure. 3 weeks. POOF!

The North Koreans have the most extensive underground facilities in the world. An airwar by itself would have even less efficacy than it had in Kosovo.

[Skwidd]

Screw Korea. I don't care if the North eats the South.

[sully777]

"South Koreans have long complained that the U.S. military occupies prime real estate and that its bases near densely populated cities contribute to crime. But the majority support the presence as a deterrent against the North."

My family lost much for that prime real estate and densely populated areas of South Korea. During the 1950's these places were mere shanties and farms. Glad to see a little appreciation from the majority of the population that know they'd be eating human flesh while the working slave camps for Supreme Leader Kim Mentally Ill Ding Dong if we let North Korea and Mao succeed.

Many apologies to our good friends at the Daewoo and Hyundai megacorporations for taking up valuable land and contributing to crime.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Let's pull out all of our guys 100%. Since Korea hates us so much and claims that our soldiers are increasing the crime rate, we'll do them the favor of leaving and letting their economy take the hit. As for the crime claim, it's a load of bunk. The people of Newport News and Norfolk, VA hate the Navy and say the same crap even though the civilian thugs in the shipyard and surrounding communities outnumber the cockroaches.

This is a much better way to deal with Korea if they want to get froggy:

The south won't like it, but it's better than cannabilism and living in slave labor camps.