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USFK Commander Will Fight Base Move

Posted January. 10, 2007 07:24,   

한국어

The commander of U.S. Forces Korea Gen. Burwell Bell, who is also the commander of U.S. and South Korean forces, said on January 9 that if the relocation of the Second Infantry Division in North Gyeonggi Province as well as Camp Yongsan to Pyeongtaek in Gyeonggi Province is delayed due to political or budget constraints, he would fight this.

Commander Bell held a press conference with domestic and foreign correspondents at Van Fleet Hall in the 8th U.S. Army Command on the Yongsan Base in Seoul, saying, “The ROK and the U.S. have pledged in 2004 to relocate the U.S. military bases to Pyeongtaek by the end of 2008 and that promise must be kept.”

This remark seems to have exposed complaints of the U.S. toward the Korean government’s announcement last December that the base relocation would be delayed by four to five years from the earlier plan, which would reach around 2012 to 2013 due to disrupted construction processes as a result of anti-relocation protests.

This also showcases that the gravity of woes in the process of devising the “Base Relocation Master Plan (MP)” is strong which seeks to calculate detailed relocation costs by the two countries.

Commander Bell made a remark on the dividends for the United States Forces Korea (USFK)’s defense spending the two agreed upon during 2007 and 2008, saying, “The Korean government proposed 722.5 billion won, a decrease of more than 100 billion won from what the U.S. requested.” He added, “As a result, the USFK faces a severe financial burden, and is ready to propose a list of reduced items to the two governments early next month in order to compensate for the budget gaps.”

He emphasized, “The relocation schedule and transfer of the operational control have nothing to do with each other,” reaffirming his previous position, “The operational control could be transferred to the Korean military by 2009 in the military sense, which the Pentagon head agreed upon.”

Commander Bell predicted regarding the recent report that North Korea is preparing for its second nuclear test, “North Korea, with is precedence of having a nuclear test last year, would have another one if it meets their needs.”



ysh1005@donga.com