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The U.S. government has not made any official announcements as to the less-than-smooth progress made in moving of the U.S. Embassy and U.S. military bases in Korea. However, the U.S. government has reportedly entered into a discussion to decide on the long-term countermeasures, fearing that the transfer of the U.S. state-owned facilities in Korea has caused friction while negotiating the issues with the Korean government.
The U.S. government reportedly has not shown much concern about some Koreans protesting against the transfer of the U.S. facilities in a disorganized way. However, it has been learned that the U.S. government is paying close attention to the organized moves of some anti-American civic groups in Korea and the reaction of the Korean government. Sources say the U.S. government is taking special note of how the Korean government complies with promises made to the U.S. and bilateral political and military pacts, and whether it intends to value the bilateral relationship in the future.
Diplomats in Seoul say U.S. governmental officials have directly and indirectly expressed discontent with the Korean government. The primary concern of the U.S. government is whether the Korean government would react the same way concerning the reconstruction of the U.S. Embassy as it did with the issue of U.S. military base transfer.
U.S. Embassy officials use every chance they get to say that the future of the Korea-U.S. relationship depends solely on the Korean government and if the Korean people do not want U.S. troops in Korea, the troops won't be kept here. A U.S. official reportedly said the Korean government must see that diplomatic ties between the United States and Japan have been brought closer than before. He said in a worst case scenario, the United States could turn to Japan.
The U.S. government is reportedly also concerned about the possibility of U.S. diplomats and military officers avoiding work in Korea. In a situation in which the embassy facilities, lodging, and education system in Korea are poor and Korean citizens unwelcoming, the U.S. government said it is getting harder to find officers willingly to work in Korea.
A Korean government official said although the U.S. government has not expressed discontent officially, if discontent piles up, it could negatively affect the relationship between the two countries.
(Lee Ha-won, may2@chosun.com )
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