By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter

The United States has indicated that it expects South Korea to offer economic assistance to Afghanistan if Seoul has difficulty sending troops to the war-torn country.

However, government officials here said Tuesday the administration is not reviewing economic support since it has yet to receive an official request.

``My understanding is that the U.S. official answered just in principle that his country is expecting Korea to provide economic aid, instead of sending troops,'' an official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said on condition of anonymity.

A day earlier, Press Secretary Geoff Morrell of the U.S. Department of Defense claimed that Korea has an ``obligation'' to support his government's war in Afghanistan.

"We would hope that Korea would continue to see it in their interest to provide aid of whatever form is appropriate to Afghanistan as we try and make sure that development continues there," he said.

The South Korean foreign ministry official said the government will begin to review economic aid once it receives an official request.

International relations analysts said that the remarks made by Morrell show that the United States is considering South Koreans' sentiment against sending troops to Afghanistan.

They added that the message is likely to be beefed up by Defense Secretary Robert Gates during his Asia tour this week.

The top defense official, who is scheduled to attend the annual ROK-U.S. Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) in Seoul, Thursday, may ask for more support for the fight in Afghanistan.

South Korea has already given support to the war-torn country. In June this year, it approved plans to offer an aid package worth more than $74 million and dispatch additional aid workers.

The decision came after President Lee Myung-bak promised to look for ways to expand practical assistance during a meeting with Richard Holbrook, U.S. special envoy on Pakistan and Afghanistan, in early April.

In June, a groundbreaking ceremony for a hospital and vocational center was held at Bagram Air Force Base.

The mid-sized hospital, which is expected to be built later this year, will have two surgical suites and 30 beds, while the vocational center will offer programs on engineering to Afghans, according to the foreign ministry.

ksy@koreatimes.co.kr