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The United States and South Korea will begin talks next month on a US proposal to cut the number of troops stationed on the Korean peninsula, defense officials here said Friday. Negotiators from the two countries are to meet in Seoul in June for a fresh round of talks on South Korea-US alliance, Oh Jeong-Hee of the defense ministry spokesman's office, said. "The agenda will focus on a proposed US troop withdrawal, launching formal negotiations on a possible cut in American forces in South Korea," Oh said. Washington made an initial proposal to discuss a reduction in the 37,000 US troops in South Korea a year ago, he said. But he refused to confirm a local media report that the United States wants to cut down nearly one third of its troops in South Korea. "It would be a gradual troop reduction, if any. I cannot confirm any media-projected figures on the size of US troop withdrawals," he said. The Pentagon confirmed last week it will redeploy around 3,600 US troops from South Korea for up to a year's combat duty in Iraq, the first American troop cut on the Korean peninsula since the early 1990s. The US troop relocation sparked concern in Seoul that it was the signal for deeper cuts which would harm South Korea's security at a time of a lingering stand-off over North Korea's nuclear weapons. Over decades since the 1950-53 Korean War, North Korea has insisted the American troops be pulled out of South Korea. But the proposed troop withdrawal is part of the US global troop redeployment, called the Global Defense Posture Review, defense officials in Washington and Seoul said. Washington seeks to transform its military into a leaner, more mobile fighting force to meet the changing security environment in the post-Cold War world. Seoul would "flexibly" accept the new US strategy requiring a follow-up troop withdrawal here but oppose whatever could negatively affect South Korea's defense, Yonhap news agency said. "We remain firm in that security on the Korean peninsula is a top priority issue. We believe that we should veto any change to US troops if it affects our security," an unnamed government source told Yohnap. All rights reserved. Copyright 2003 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse. Quick Links
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