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Rumsfeld Visits South Korea To Assess Security Alliance

United States Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. (© AP/WWP)

By Jane Morse
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is in the Republic of Korea (ROK) for annual consultative talks intended to assess the U.S.-South Korea military alliance, South Korea's increasing defense capabilities and the ability of the two nations to deter North Korean aggression.

In an October 21 joint press briefing with Yoon Kwang-Woon, South Korea's minister of national defense, Rumsfeld said the government and people of the United States are proud of the contribution they have made in the interest of the people of South Korea and the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and the surrounding region. 

"Today we see the relationship between our two countries evolving to recognize the important changes that have taken place over the past five decades," he said.

Discussions at the 37th Security Consultative Meeting considered the issue of the redeployment of 12,500 U.S. troops from South Korea and the relocation of Yongsan Garrison from Seoul. Officials also reviewed the Republic of Korea's plan to transform its forces and to take on more of the responsibility for its defense.  Both sides agreed on the continued need to maintain a U.S. troop presence in South Korea.

Rumsfeld reaffirmed the United States' commitment to South Korea's security, including the provision of a nuclear umbrella consistent with the 1953 Mutual Defense Treaty.

The defense secretary said the United States will continue to "preserve and strengthen the credibility of the deterrent" against both overt aggression and nuclear blackmail.

Noting South Korea's remarkable economic growth, he added:  "If there is anything that is clear in this world, [it] is that conflict and instability prevent economic opportunity and prosperity."

Both sides agreed "to appropriately accelerate" talks regarding South Korea's taking operational control of its military forces during wartime, which has remained in U.S. hands since the Korean War.  The change would take place "at that moment when the Republic of Korea and the United States of America decided that it was appropriate," Rumsfeld told reporters.

South Korea assumed peacetime control of its military in 1994.

Army General Leon LaPorte, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, told the press that South Korea's desire to take more responsibility for its own defense is "a natural evolution" that directly reflects the country's increasing military capabilities.

According to LaPorte, the North Korean military threat is as strong as ever, but there has been a noticeable reduction in "incidents of provocation" along the demilitarized zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea during the past 12 months to 18 months.  The "clear, recognizable disparity between capabilities of the [North] Korean military and the ROK-U.S. alliance military guarantees deterrence," he said.

Thanks to two major highways and rail lines that link North and South Korea, LaPorte noted, there is more peaceful cross-border traffic than ever could have been imagined.  Some 2,000 people cross the DMZ every day, he said -- mostly South Koreans traveling north to visit North Korean relatives, but also developers and construction workers who are building an industrial complex in western North Korea.

Rumsfeld just completed a visit to China upon the invitation of Cao Gangchuan, China's minister of national defense.  It was Rumsfeld's first visit to China since becoming U.S. secretary of defense.

During a joint press briefing with Cao in Beijing October 19, Rumsfeld called for "a candid and straightforward" relationship with China.

Upon completing his visit to South Korea, Rumsfeld will visit Mongolia, Kazakhstan and Lithuania.

Transcripts of Rumsfeld's remarks on his trip to Asia and the full text (PDF, 4 pages) of the 37th Security Consultative Meeting Joint Communiqué are available on the Department of Defense Web site.

For additional information on U.S. policy in the region, see East Asia and the Pacific.