Posted on 01/10/2003 8:10:35 PM PST by DeaconBenjamin
SEOUL - President-elect Roh Moo Hyun has suggested that the tens of thousands of US troops in the country since the 1950-53 war could be gone within as little as a decade, giving Seoul responsibility for its own defence.
Facing North-Korea's one-million strong army, South Korea's military is not unprepared, said Mr Roh.
Mr Roh tapped anti-American sentiment as he swept to victory on a manifesto that backed his mentor's 'sunshine policy' of engaging communist North Korea.
'Although we don't know if it might take 10, 20 or 30 years, someone has to consider an independent defence,' Mr Roh told the Seoul International Forum, published in Choongang Ilbo newspaper.
South Korea, which faces North Korea's one-million strong army across the world's most heavily fortified border, was not unprepared, he said.
'Senior military officials have to prepare a plan for a special emergency situation on the Korean peninsula when the US army moves away,' he said
His remarks come amid a growing chorus of calls from conservative US politicians and think-tanks that it may be time to remove the 37,000 US troops in South Korea.
Meanwhile, US business circles have expressed strong complaints over the growing anti-American sentiment, threatening to cut their Korea-bound investments and halt bilateral cooperation projects, the Federation of Korean Industries said yesterday.
It said it has received a letter of protest from the US Chamber of Commerce, containing deep grievances against the spread of hostility towards the United States.
The letter warned the anti-US actions, complicated by the nuclear crisis, could prompt US investors to boycott Korea. --Reuters, Korea Herald/ Asia News Network
No, they don't. There is actually nothing between them and darkness. It is Korea, after all.
Oh, that'd be peachy. Then, when SK is overrun by the North, the Stalinist kook who runs North Korea *will* have nukes, and good ones at that! Splendid!
Snidely
Too bad for them.
Sure. Then we get to listen to 50 years of mendacities about Bush being the one who "lost Korea," just as the lie has circulated for years that Truman "lost China," as if either one was ours to lose.
Snidely
Seems most of the demonstrations I've seen or heard about were idiot students, who really have no idea WTF they're talking about anyway.
And recall that South Korea is a nation of nearly 50 million people. 50,000 could demonstrate and it'd be essentially meaningless for the overall body politic.
Snidely
Not only was it an accident, but it was used horribly out of context to slander us. Anyone who's been on the roads in Korea knows that the pedestrians have no regard for automobiles or even armored vehicles. People pretend like the don't see them, and walk right in front of them all the time. Of the hundreds of people that die weekly over there in car accidents, the only reason this one gets press is because it was a U.S. APC that was involved.
Couldn't have said it any better!! Time to bring our troops home, they've been there too long & not appreciated at all!
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