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