Don’t Waver on US Forces Korea’s Prior Promises

Recently, the U.S. Forces Korea’s Second Division 210 Field Artillery Brigade has requested to remain north of the Han River. The previous agreements are being overturned. The South Korean government must stick to the existing agreements to move all major U.S. Forces Korea bases to Pyeongtaek in Gyeonggi Province without failure.

The 210 Field Artillery Brigade has over 2,000 troops. If these troops remain in Dongducheon, Gyeonggi Province, this will mark a major change from the previous U.S. Forces Korea’s agreements. The previous agreements to move major bases by 2016 was reached by both the Korean and U.S. governments, and ratified by the Korean National Assembly. Submitting to the new U.S. demands will be equivalent to South Korea giving up its sovereignty on issues of national defense. Affected citizens, regions and local governments will continue to have their property rights restricted and endure an immense loss.

The reasons for the U.S. requests to remain north of the Han River are also suspect. The claim that it will be easier to respond if war breaks out was considered when the previous agreement was reached. Nothing has changed since then that merits the request to stay. The claim that troops must remain north of the Han River to act as an automatic tripwire has also been refuted by the U.S. itself. Some suggest now that this is just a trick by the U.S. to lower its financial burdens.

The more worrying aspect of this complex situation is that America’s request shows the erosion of South Korea’s control over its own independent national defense. The U.S. has even requested that the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command remain in Yongsan, Seoul, instead of moving, as it had previously agreed to. This behavior is a blatant disregard for prior promises and agreements. Going forward, U.S. Forces Korea will likely push for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile defense system. If THAAD makes its way into South Korea, our country will become the frontline for a possible Sino-U.S. military confrontation. These actions can shackle South Korea to a position where it is unable to deal with its issues independently. This can also change the containment strategy of North Korea, which is the essence of U.S. Forces Korea.

The U.S. is able to force these requests because of our government’s dependent behavior. The most important issue is the exchange of Wartime Operational Control. A sovereign nation should not continue to request that the United States maintain control of this command. For the U.S., this is a win-win situation that can be utilized in many ways. Recently, the two governments agreed to South Korea’s request to give emergency management to the new combined ROK-U.S. Alliance Division. The U.S. is most certainly raising its own voice in this situation. Next year’s national defense budget will reach $363 billion. This is greater than North Korea’s entire GDP of $30 billion. Nevertheless, South Korea will blindly continue to lean on the U.S., even at the cost of an independent self-defense policy, and continue to be swayed on key issues. A sovereign power cannot act like this.