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The agreement between President Roh Moo-hyun and his U.S. counterpart George W. Bush that Korea will exercise sole wartime control of its troops has naturally drawn the most comment here. The two countries are to discuss concrete measures including the timetable to put the agreement into practice at the annual Security Consultative Meeting in Washington next month.
¡ß When?
Controversy over when to exercise sole operational control will if anything increase after the summit. The government favors 2012 and the Pentagon 2009. Many Koreans want an even later date. The government expects that U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will not be able to hand over wartime operational control at the earlier date since Bush told reporters after the summit,"We will work in a consultative way at the appropriate level of government to come up with an appropriate date.¡± But that is by no means certain since the Pentagon is taking the lead on the issue and Rumsfeld is adamant about the target year. He already nailed down 2009 in his answer to Korea¡¯s request for 2012. He reportedly wants a new system in place to coincide with the relocation of U.S., Forces Korea headquarters to Pyeongtaek, which is scheduled to take place in 2008.
As a result, pundits say the SCM will fail to produce a fixed date or reach a compromise or an intermediate review in 2010 will establish whether Korea is ready. Others expect that the U.S. will make additional demands in return for agreeing to 2012.
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President Roh Moo Hyun looks from the window of a plane before disembarking at San Francisco International Airport on Thursday night.
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¡ß The End for Combined Forces Command
Officials with the CFC responded sensitively. If the security meeting next month determines the timetable for its dismantlement, the CFC will be sentenced to death. Within the military, there are fears that the CFC will immediately lose its clout because career officers, who are very sensitive about promotions, tend to avoid working in units that lack practical power or a future. The military already has difficulties in securing talented personnel for the CFC because it does not offer good chances of promotion. Some 300 Korean officers work for the CFC, and a total of 600 officers including from the U.S. military are in its service. A Korean CFC officer said regular promotions are due at the end of this year, and officers may increasingly avoid serving in the CFC. Some say this is not so for U.S. officers, because they usually also serve as members of USFK command. However, the USFK, which was once favored by talented personnel, lost its popularity several years ago, sources say. ¡°The dismantlement of the CFC will inevitably affect morale of those who want to serve in it to a certain degree,¡± a USFK command officer said.
¡ß Did Bush indicate a possible reduction of the USFK?
¡°Decisions about the placement of U.S. troops and the size of the contingent will be made in consultation with the South Korean government,¡± Bush said. ¡°Placement¡± seems to refer to relocating USFK forces from the Yongsan Garrison in Seoul and the Second Infantry Division to Pyeongtaek. But why did Bush mention size? A government official says Bush talked about where to place USFK and how many of them will be stationed here, but the remark has nothing to with any reduction to the forces. Yet given that U.S. officials keep saying additional reductions are possible after operational control has been handed over, it cannot be ruled out that Bush¡¯s remark indicate troop cuts, according to a researcher with a state-run institute. Some military experts say if the CFC is dismantled, the U.S. will drastically reduce the number of ground forces here. The USFK numbered 37,000 personnel in 2004 and is scheduled to shrink by 12,500 by 2008.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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