Posted June. 04, 2004 21:42,
On June 4, Cheong Wa Dae announced its intention to pursue the establishment of a stronger prior consultation system with the U.S. on the USFK relocation issue than the one pertaining to the U.S. forces in Japan.
A key government official revealed during a telephone conversation that the consultation system between the U.S. and Japan requires the two parties to confer on the USFJs overseas deployment, as well as changes to the troops key equipment and unit locations, through an exchange of notes, but that in fact, the arrangement is tantamount to a free pass.
The same source also commented that since the respective security environments around the US and Japan differ, it would be unfortunate to have the Korea-U.S. prior consultation system devolve into a free pass scenario, adding, we will follow a similar overall format for the system, but enhance it to allow for actual policy consultation.
It has been reported that the decision was based on the recent relocation of 3,000 U.S. troops stationed in Okinawa, Japan, to Iraq without any prior consultation between the two countries.
However, Korea-U.S. negotiations are expected to hit rocky ground with this announcement, as it is likely that the U.S. will disapprove of a more strenuous prior consultation system due to the serious impact it would have on the rapid mobilization capabilities of the USFK.
An official in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade stated that the conversation regarding a prior consultation system will take into account the strategic flexibility of the USFK, but security on the Korean Peninsula must take precedence, and warned that the issue is not one that will be resolved in a month or two.