U.S. must pull out of the South: N. Korea

U.S. must pull out of the South: N. Korea

SEOUL: North Korea is yet again calling for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from South Korea. Or, for the 121st time since 1948 -- if a quasi-governmental think tank is correct in its calculations. Still, the latest call was particularly noteworthy, coming after a lengthy silence and alleged acquiescence by Pyongyang. The problem is, the ongoing fuss seems set to amount to little more than another political dogfight.

During a weekend summit highlighting his almost month-long train visit to Russia, North Korean leader Kim Jong-il re- emphasized that the American troops should leave Korea, saying it is "very urgent" for peace and security in the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia. President Vladimir Putin expressed understanding of the North's position, albeit wisely stopping short of supporting it.

The reversal put President Kim Dae-jung into an awkward position. President Kim had frequently said his North Korean counterpart showed tacit approval of the American military presence even after unification at their historic summit in June 2000. The opposition lost no time to criticize the President, saying he either lied to the people or was cheated by Kim Jong- il.

Neither should necessarily be true, though. Most voters would like their elected leader to be neither a deceiver nor a dupe. Rather, the North Korean strongman might have changed his mind in the face of hardball tactics by the new U.S. administration. Or he just referred to the U.S. troops' presence in the capacity of a peacekeeper than occupying forces.

In any case, the latest change in Pyongyang appears to be strategic rather than fundamental. The North has often hyped up its propaganda whenever there arises the need for cementing internal solidarity or appeasing hard-liners. Officials and analysts here view it as an eye-for-an-eye tactic to dilute Washington's proposed agenda of conventional arms reduction.

Also noteworthy in this regard is the U.S. response -- or lack of it -- to the latest development. This in part reflects the U.S. confidence in its role as a non-regional balancer, which it believes is recognized by all regional players. Former U.S. president Jimmy Carter recalled here Tuesday even the late North Korean founder Kim Il-sung acknowledged the American presence in a different, smaller form.

The rival political camps should stop their childish and unproductive bickering over this and other inter-Korean issues. Their "politicizing" of the South-North relationship has gone beyond the tolerable level. The ruling party should no longer monopolize the northern policy as a means of staying in power. Nor must the opposition try to trip up the government in every trivial step.

Fundamentally, the 37,000 American troops' presence here is a matter between the United States and its host -- South Korea. No third parties can or need to have a say in this. More frankly, the decision is almost entirely up to Washington, the sole superpower in post-Cold War era, based on its global geopolitical strategy.

A recent report by Rand Corp., a conservative U.S. think tank, well illustrates the point. To the relief of most Korean nationalists, the paper envisions the earlier-than-expected pullout of U.S. ground troops from Korea and Japan for relocation in Southeast Asia. The new strategy, based on possible reunification of the two Koreas, is aimed at encircling China, America's potential new rival.

The study specifically cited three expected outcomes: diverting expenditure saved from reduced ground forces to developing new weapons, such as a missile shield; weakening the alliance between North Korea, China and Russia; and stepping up pressure on South Korea for arms purchases. And all of these are based on deepening of regional conflicts instead of easing them.

Few Koreans with a modicum of national identity -- even the diehard anti-Communists -- would welcome the presence of foreign troops on their soil for good. The latest debate on the North's position here also comes amid increasing frustration and discontent with the U.S. military presence, along with the growing hosting costs, environmental degradation and other violations.

Koreans have a long, shameful history of calling in foreign soldiers under the pretext of national security, but actually out of hatred and distrust of rival compatriots. Until when will we need foreigners to seek partisan interests at the expense of our own people? In this vein, Kim Jong-il should recognize it is only the rapid reconciliation between two Koreas that can undermine the rationale for a U.S. troop presence

-- The Korea Herald/Asia News Network