U.S. Ambassador Answers to Students

The U.S. ambassador to Korea, Thomas Hubbard, stated on May 7 that “we have not discussed with the Korean government the issue of dispatching troops stationed in Korea in relation with the remarks made "suggesting the dispatch of troops in Korea" by U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

Hubbard made his statement during a question and answer session with students at a special lecture held by Kyungnam University titled “Democracy and Foreign Policy.”

He added that “Even though such a situation occurred, the U.S. government would send forces in a range that would not hurt Korean defense and security.”

He said on the issue of moving the U.S. Embassy that “since a few proposed sites in the past were dismissed for several reasons, we are discussing with the Korean government about the possibility of moving the embassy to Camp Coiner (Huam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul) now.”

Jeong-Hoon Kang manman@donga.com