S. Korea: U.S. has our back [ROK FM: send 40% Navy, half USAF, 70% of USMC to region in emergency]

New Yrok Daily News ^ | Feb 14, 2005 | BILL HUTCHINSON

[Mike Fieschko]

With growing concerns about North Korea's nuclear ambitions, the United States is vowing to defend South Korea with much of its military power, a top official said yesterday.

South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki Moon confirmed a Financial Times of London report that a Korean Peninsula "emergency" would trigger a U.S. plan to send 40% of the Navy, half the Air Force and 70% of the Marine Corps to the region.

"We have been assured by ... the United States," Ban said of the emergency plan on CNN's "Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer."

He said South Korea expects America to honor its commitment to protect it in an emergency despite the U.S. military being strained by the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"We think that the United States has enough capabilities to deal with all three regional conflicts while they are concentrating their military forces in Iraq," Ban said. "I think the United States and Koreans in close combined defense capabilities can maintain and can deal with any threats."

Worries have intensified since North Korea boasted last week that it has built a nuclear arsenal to protect itself from the Bush administration's "nuclear stick."

The Communist country also pulled out of the six-party talks aimed at ending its nuclear programs.

"We ... have manufactured nukes for self-defense to cope with the Bush administration's undisguised policy to isolate and stifle the [North]," the North Korean Foreign Ministry said recently.

China pledged yesterday to try to get North Korea to rejoin the six-party talks, but a North Korean district official in Pyongyang said the U.S. would first have to withdraw its troops from the Korean Peninsula.

[Grzegorz 246]

"India,Israel & Japan were 3 countries which could build a functioning nuclear triad including submarine launched missiles & even ICBMs"

You are imperialistic, aren't you ? :-)

[sukhoi-30mki]

You could say so!!!!

Anyway all 3 nations are surrounded by a bunch of brutes on all sides-so the question how many nukes they need ,not why they need nukes.

[SaltyJoe]

The Japanese are wise to not publicize their military capabilities. Consider them low-ballers with more than a few Aces up their sleeves.

[Grzegorz 246]

Nukes are nice toys. We wanted to build nukes in 70's, but Soviets didn't let us to do it. Now, when we are a part of EUnuchstan it's not possible either.