South Korea Says U.S. Wants to Pull Troops

[robertpaulsen]

South Korea Says U.S. Wants to Pull Troops

snip

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - Washington wants to move some of the 37,000 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea to Iraq, South Korean officials said Monday. "The U.S. government has told us that it needs to select some U.S. troops in South Korea and send them to Iraq to cope with the worsening situation in Iraq," said Kim Sook, head of the South Korean Foreign Ministry's North American Bureau.

"South Korea and the United States are discussing the matter" and working out details including the number of U.S. troops to be redeployed, Kim said.

In Washington, a senior defense official confirmed that the Pentagon is in discussions with Seoul about using some Korea-based U.S. forces in Iraq.

more...

http://apnews1.iwon.com//article/20040517/D82K1DA80.html?PG=home&SEC=news

[Bluebear]

1. Yes let's ignore North Korea & China in favor of this quagmire

Iraq is so much more important than North Korea's nuclear plans.

[Terran]

2. Oh man, this smells like the fall of an empire to me...

I'm sure a lot of Roman legions were recalled to Rome late in the game to shore things up. I know this is not exactly analogous, but to weaken or even abandon a half-century old military committment, especially one that protects an ally against a *real* nutcase dictator, strikes me as things beginning to fall apart.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

3. After all, shrub's got an election to win! n/t

[yardwork]

5. Bingo! If Shrub wins, then back the troops go - plus lots more.

[lanparty]

4. They need to vacate Germany ...

Seriously, what is the point of all those troops in Germany now that the Cold War is long over???? They should pull a LOT of troops out of Germany for the Iraq operations. While there at it, we have plenty of troops in England as well. England& Germany are NOT a strategic outposts holding back the tide of tyranny.

[ze_dscherman]

10. They sent so many troops from Germany into Iraq ...

... that 2500 German soldiers were needed to guard U.S. bases. As well, quite a lot of U.S. infrastructure in Germany was/is used for the deployment of troops and material.

Also, before the U.S. has put up bases in Eastern Europe, they won't move many troops out of Germany. The planned U.S. strategy is to move troops CLOSER to Russia.

[pinniped]

6. We can always recall the 100k troops stationed on Mars...

Oops...it's not 2025 yet.:crazy:

[struggle4progress]

7. They must be feeling stretched thin in Iraq ...

and getting heat from home about calling up NG: otherwise, why would they look for bases around the world to raid for troops?

[dbt]

8. It's becoming very clear that things are WAY worse

than we're being led to believe by our Fearless Television Networks. Brings to mind that great CONservative mantra from the 90s:

"If he'll lie about a blowjob, what else will he lie about?"

:evilgrin:
dbt

Down, down bu$h!
Down, down bu$h!
(Repeat as necessary)

[alittlelark]

9. I had an entirely different and disturbing take on the story

I remember a number of people on the DU board a few months ago saying that a pull-out from S Korea would be a precursor to war with N Korea. N Korea, when attacked has the ability to take out Seoul, and many other regions within minutes - and if they truly do have Nukes.......

We DO need more troops in Iraq (the ones that are there have a nasty habit of getting killed and all that), but of all the troops we have all over the world - why S Korea?

B*sh is plummetting in the polls.......

hope I'm just paranoid.

[freeforall]

11. Kim Jong Il is doing the happy dance

Bye bye US. Now we can build our nukes in peace.

[Stockholm]

12. Idiots!

Moving forces away from "the axis of evil"? Leave them where they are and move some from EUrope.

[UpInArms]

13. related article: US to redeploy South Korea-based troops to Iraq

http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=801

Seoul (AsiaNews/Agencies) - The United States has informed Seoul that it plans to redeploy a contingent of US troops from South Korea to Iraq, “because the U.S. needs more manpower for strong pacification operations ahead of the scheduled June 30 transfer of sovereignty in Iraq”. A South-Korean newspaper, the Joongang Ilbo, reported the news, quoting a government official saying that a brigade from USFK’s 2nd Infantry Division (about 4,000 men), based in Dongducheon (Gyeonggi Province), close to the border with North Korea, will be sent to Iraq.

...more...

doesn't the term "pacification" give anyone else the shivers?

[Just Me]

16. I just wonder whether info about where these troops are being relocated,

,...is actually being released. I would have to go back and study the PNAC plan which I am certain provides for more strategic locations in both ME and FE.

[9215]

14. A fucking "cakewalk"????????????????

Just look at this shit America!!!!

[dad]

15. Some U.S. troops in S. Korea may go to Iraq

I think this is pretty big news. Taking troops off the DMZ and moving them to Iraq is further proof things are getting out of control there.
Camp Red Cloud is where I was stationed in S. Korea in 1995-96. Going from Red Cloud to Iraq... I feel sorry for those poor bastards! Can't catch a break!!


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4997741/

Some U.S. troops in S. Korea may go to Iraq
Pentagon request confirmed, figure of 4,000 reportedThe Associated Press
Updated: 8:06 a.m. ET May 17, 2004
WASHINGTON - In a sign of the Iraq wars increasing strain on the U.S. Army, the Pentagon is considering an extraordinary shift of troops to Iraq from their garrisons in South Korea, where they have stood guard for decades against a feared invasion by forces of communist North Korea, officials say.

The move reflects not only the Army's difficulty in finding enough soldiers for the next rotation of forces into Iraq later this year but also Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfelds push for greater flexibility in deploying troops based anywhere in the world, including the Korean peninsula.

[drumwolf]

17. something that no one's brought up about Korea and US troops

South Korea has become much more liberal, and much less sympathetic to America, in recent years, and they recently ushered in a new government headed by a progressive party that is more inclined towards independence from US influence. Plus, there has been a seething resentment of the presence of US troops among much of the population for some time now.

There's no denying that we are horribly overstretched because of Iraq, but I would also speculate that the recent developments in South Korean politics could well be a factor in our decision to pull troops from the area, especially given how petty and vindictive the Bush administration is.

[dad]

18. /

As someone else stated above, why remove our guys from Korea where they are needed, when we could've just moved some troops out of Germany instead?
I noticed that the South Koreans' attitude towards us gets friendlier and friendlier as you get closer to the DMZ.
Not all of them want us there, but at least there is a reason for us being there.