It's not right time to discuss US troop withdrawal
A special presidential aide, Moon Chung-in, went too far in making a case for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from South Korea. He should have been cautious not to send a misleading signal to Washington as well as Pyongyang.
It is regrettable that Moon triggered controversy over his column published Monday by U.S. magazine Foreign Affairs, in which he argued it would be difficult to justify the presence of U.S. forces in the South if a peace treaty were signed.
"What will happen to U.S. forces in South Korea if a peace treaty is signed? It will be difficult to justify their continuing presence in South Korea after its adoption," he said in the contribution article. "But there will be strong conservative opposition to the reduction and withdrawal of U.S. forces, posing a major political dilemma for (President) Moon."
How could he make such remarks, especially when U.S. President Donald Trump plans to hold a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un later this month to discuss how to denuclearize the North? The controversy came after President Moon Jae-in and Kim agreed to formally end the Korean War and seek to replace the armistice with a peace treaty during their historic summit at the truce village of Panmunjeom last Friday.
Moon Chung-in is the special adviser for foreign affairs and national security to the President and a professor emeritus at Yonsei University. He must have known his remarks are not in the best interest of not only South Korea, but also the U.S. He must recognize his argument could have a negative effect on the upcoming Trump-Kim meeting. It might also have negative implications for Seoul-Washington ties.
For this reason, it is timely and appropriate for President Moon to give his adviser a warning for his controversial remarks. The President did the right thing to clear the confusion caused by Moon Chung-in and prevent any potential conflict with Washington over the U.S. military presence in South Korea.
Yet it is still worrisome because the controversy came after U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis indicated the continued U.S. troop presence may become a part of the bargain with the North. In March, President Trump also hinted at the possibility of a U.S. troop pullout from the South, possibly trying to put trade pressure on Seoul.
Now the two allies should reaffirm that the stationing of U.S. troops here is the backbone of the strong South Korea-U.S. alliance. Even former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il acknowledged the U.S. military presence even after the unification of the peninsula, during the first inter-Korean summit with then-President Kim Dae-jung in 2000.
U.S. troops need to stay on the peninsula even after the two Koreas sign a peace treaty in order to maintain peace and stability in Northeast Asia. Their possible withdrawal could only speed up the rearmament of Japan and accelerate an arms race with China. Thus a troop pullout will not be good for the entire region.
A special presidential aide, Moon Chung-in, went too far in making a case for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from South Korea. He should have been cautious not to send a misleading signal to Washington as well as Pyongyang.
It is regrettable that Moon triggered controversy over his column published Monday by U.S. magazine Foreign Affairs, in which he argued it would be difficult to justify the presence of U.S. forces in the South if a peace treaty were signed.
"What will happen to U.S. forces in South Korea if a peace treaty is signed? It will be difficult to justify their continuing presence in South Korea after its adoption," he said in the contribution article. "But there will be strong conservative opposition to the reduction and withdrawal of U.S. forces, posing a major political dilemma for (President) Moon."
How could he make such remarks, especially when U.S. President Donald Trump plans to hold a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un later this month to discuss how to denuclearize the North? The controversy came after President Moon Jae-in and Kim agreed to formally end the Korean War and seek to replace the armistice with a peace treaty during their historic summit at the truce village of Panmunjeom last Friday.
Moon Chung-in is the special adviser for foreign affairs and national security to the President and a professor emeritus at Yonsei University. He must have known his remarks are not in the best interest of not only South Korea, but also the U.S. He must recognize his argument could have a negative effect on the upcoming Trump-Kim meeting. It might also have negative implications for Seoul-Washington ties.
For this reason, it is timely and appropriate for President Moon to give his adviser a warning for his controversial remarks. The President did the right thing to clear the confusion caused by Moon Chung-in and prevent any potential conflict with Washington over the U.S. military presence in South Korea.
Yet it is still worrisome because the controversy came after U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis indicated the continued U.S. troop presence may become a part of the bargain with the North. In March, President Trump also hinted at the possibility of a U.S. troop pullout from the South, possibly trying to put trade pressure on Seoul.
Now the two allies should reaffirm that the stationing of U.S. troops here is the backbone of the strong South Korea-U.S. alliance. Even former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il acknowledged the U.S. military presence even after the unification of the peninsula, during the first inter-Korean summit with then-President Kim Dae-jung in 2000.
U.S. troops need to stay on the peninsula even after the two Koreas sign a peace treaty in order to maintain peace and stability in Northeast Asia. Their possible withdrawal could only speed up the rearmament of Japan and accelerate an arms race with China. Thus a troop pullout will not be good for the entire region.
