South Korea Abaondoning Alliance With U.S.

New York Times ^ | February 23 | Thud

[Thud]

February 24, 2003

U.S. Approach on North Korea Is Straining Alliances in Asia

By Howard W. French
Seoul, South Korea, Feb. 23

"... To the dismay of Washington, Mr. Roh [South Korean President-elect] has spoken in recent weeks of establishing an economic community with North Korea, stepping up trade, aid and investment there, ruling out economic sanctions and military strikes against the country and even of personally "guaranteeing" North Korea's security.

... "It is better to struggle than to suffer deaths in a war," Mr. Roh said in a speech to the Federation of Korean Trade Unions. "Koreans should stand together, although things will get difficult when the United States bosses us around."

A senior South Korean diplomat said: "It looks like Roh is prepared to throw the alliance away and make common cause with North Korea. We don't understand why he seems to trust North Korea so completely."

While Japan looks nervously at North Korea and is beginning to explore ways to augment its alliance with the United States, South Koreans and experts in this country's affairs are contemplating the end of the five-decade-old alliance between the countries, at least as it has existed, with 37,000 American troops on the front lines here.

"The Japanese are on the spot because the U.S. alliance with South Korea is defunct, and there is no point in insisting on it any more," said Robyn Lim, a regional security expert at Nanzan University in Japan. "The U.S. alliance with Japan is integrally linked with the U.S. alliance with South Korea. Indeed, since the Korean War, the American presence in South Korea has been as much about protecting Japan as it was about South Korea."

[Post Toasties]

The US should make Roh put his money where his mouth is by having South Korea provide the food aid to North Korea that the United States has been giving out.

This would give Roh a taste of what a United Korea would mean to the south.

[Steel Wolf]

I like the idea of helping out Taiwan, but I think in this case a couple of naval bases would do more good. If we move some ships from Japan to Taiwan, and then move the ground troops from Korea to Japan, we'd stay in the region, and could keep our forces where'd they do the most good.

[xm177e2]

Let the Koreas take care of matters of reintegration. If we're not wanted, we should check out. The South Koreans had a close election, and the leftist candidate won. They made their choice, now they can live with it.

[Steel Wolf]

Were it not for the WMD proliferation, I'd agree 100%.

The problem is that North Korea only has three exports: verbal threats, ballistic missiles, and WMD.

Since talk is cheap, right now they make their money off of missiles. Once they start cranking out nukes, everyone on earth who wants one and can afford to put one on layaway is putting in an order now.

Even without South Korea in the equation, the DPRK is a threat because they can arm every enemy we have with nuclear missiles. The problem is bigger than just South Korea's future.

[Thud]

North Korea's military gangsters are already selling food aid in China for hard currency. Give them more food aid and they'll sell that too. North Korea's starving people will be lucky to see any of it.

[bonfire]

"North Korea... quit trying to cut to the front of the 'ass-kicking' line."


Damn funny line!

[Greenpees]

N Korea routinely says to S. Korea that they would deeply regret the destruction they will bring upon their S.Korean "brothers" because of external problems with America.

...And the S. Korean government doesn't see this as a direct threat?

And under this direct threat, Roh's first question is "What can I do to help you President Il?"

I'm so glad we don't have an absolutely vacant freak like Roh leading our country.

Make me like GW that much more whenever I hear these other so-called "World Leaders" say something.

[ggekko]

"produce weapons of mass destruction and continue their arms sales to despotic regimes..."

North Korea is part of the axis of evil. We cannot afford to "kick the can down the road" like Clinton did.

We do need to rethink where South Korea fits in with our new security strategy. They are no longer a front line state in the Cold War.

[John Valentine]

I am so tired of hearing slurs aimed at the supposed lack of mental prowess of President Bush when there are profoundly challenged lightweights like Roh who escape the attention of the press solely because of their leftist credentials.

Roh is a dangerously misguided ideologue and nitwit.

[John Valentine]

A singularly excellent idea!

[johnny7]

Roh is a dangerously misguided ideologue and nitwit.

Boy, you got that right. It's the equivalent of some moron hand-feeding a tiger a big, juicey steak.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Re #2

He and most of his close advisors were all political activists in '80s. Two of their major themes were anti-government, and anti-America.

They tend to think that, since they no longer unquestionably embrace North Korean ideology and totalitarian socialism in general, they are now "main stream". So from their point of view, they are advocating a moderate position.

They do not seem to see Korean problems in global geopolitical context. They only believe that their position is morally correct and it is their right to insist on it. These half-cocked ideologues will provide truly unwanted anxieties to S. Koreans and others in the region.

They are now into slamming major medias which do not toe the "reform" theme of the government. Mr. Roh sees them as mean-spirited and wasteful.

[Rain-maker]

There will be less simpathy involved, if we have to nuke the area then.

Good riddens, we don't need your Samsungs, Daewoos, and Hyundais.

[Rain-maker]

Seems like the above NYT's article is full of BS

 

S.Korea's Kim Says U.S. Alliance, Troops Must Stay

http://abcnews.go.com/wire/US/reuters20030223_375.html

Feb. 23

— SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean President Kim Dae-jung said on Monday that Seoul's security alliance with the United States would remain vital to the Korean peninsula and regional security even after any reunification with North Korea.

"Realistically, for the maintenance of peace on the Korean peninsula, North-South reconciliation and the solid South Korea-U.S. security alliance must be continued, " Kim said.

"For the stability of Northeast Asia, the presence of U.S. troops in South Korea is necessary now and after reunification," he said in his final address to the country before handing power to elected successor on Tuesday.

The United States maintains 37,000 troops in South Korea under a bilateral alliance that was set up in 1953 at the end of the three-year Korean War.

[KantianBurke]

ping

[guitfiddlist]

We need examples of what happens to idiot peaceniks. And South Korea would be an excellent example - if they voluntarily choose to jump over that cliff.

If that's what they decide, then let's just get our military forces out of there, encourage their replacement with idiot American human rights activists and vote monitors (Hey Carter - ya bozo, that means you!) and televise the carnage from a distance, for the benefit of what will be a rapidly dwindling number of peacenik morons in the rest of the world.

[happygrl]

"Our government's duty is to us, not to foreigners. North Korean nukes in terrorist hands will kill us at home, not South Koreans or Chinese."

The new American policy.

[dighton]

South Korea Abaondoning Alliance With U.S.

Please don't change headlines. The original is, U.S. Approach on N. Korea Strains Alliances in Asia.

[happygrl]

These are Kim Dae-jung's parting words of wisdom as he leaves office.

The problem child is his successor, Roh, who is the appeaser making the foolish overtures to North Korea.

He will now take office and Katy-bar-the-door.

[AmericanInTokyo]

Move the 37,000 troops to Taiwan.

(if anything), how about making that on the US border from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean?