It Makes a Difference to the Sheep

U.S. ANNOUNCES TROOP PULL-BACK FROM THE DMZ

The Associated Press (Doug Struck, "US PULLING TROOPS FROM KOREAN DMZ, FORCES TO MOVE 75 MILES FROM BORDER, ABANDONING LARGE BASE IN SEOUL" Tokyo, 06/05/03) reported that US troops soon will withdraw from the Demilitarized Zone between the DPRK and the ROK, bringing an end to 50 years of guard duty that began at the end of the Korean War, officials said today. A joint statement by US and ROK officials said US troops will be pulled back to positions at least 75 miles from the DMZ, and will abandon a large base they occupy in downtown Seoul. The move will free US troops to be more mobile, replaced by soldiers in a modern ROK army, officials said.

This is, from almost any perspective, a welcome development. The removal of U.S. troops from the DMZ cannot help but reduce North Korean fears of a U.S. ground invasion of the North. The reduction of the U.S. military footprint in South Korea will probably help improve U.S.-ROK relations. In addition, the ROK will be required to shoulder more of the burden of its own defense, a necessary precondition to a more equal U.S.-ROK relationship.