5. US Military Presence
Talks between the ROK and the US to revise the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) governing US troops in the ROK will likely end with little substantial progress. The article said that the US is refusing the ROK's proposal on the establishment of an environmental clause in SOFA as it would be legally binding and wants ROK authorities guarantee the rights of accused US soldiers to question witnesses or their accusers face-to-face.
"US-ROK SOFA Talks" (Daily Report, December 7, ROK)
"US-ROK SOFA Talks" (Daily Report, December 6, ROK)
"ROK-US SOFA Talks" (Daily Report, December 5, ROK)
"US-ROK SOFA Talks" (Daily Report, December 4, ROK)
The ROK Defense Ministry said in its Defense White Paper 2000 that the size of a US deployment to the Korean Peninsula in the case of war rose from 480,000 troops in the early 1990s to 690,000 in 2000, and would also include 160 vessels and 1,600 aircraft. The White Paper also said that the DPRK deploys more than 55 percent of its key forces near the frontline. It added that the DPRK's official military budget for next year is US$1.36 billion, or 14.5 percent of the total budget, but that actual military spending accounts for 30 percent of the budget.
"US Reinforcement Force" (Daily Report, December 5, ROK)
"DPRK Military Posture" (Daily Report, December 5, ROK)
"DPRK Military Posture" (Daily Report, December 4, US)
"US Contingency Plans for Korea" (Daily Report, December 4, US)
Hundreds of ROK citizens held a protest rally calling for an overhaul of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) governing the legal rights of US troops in the ROK. Participants also demanded a thorough investigation into the Nogun-ri incident. The protest rally was organized by the People's Action for Reform of the Unjust ROK-U.S. SOFA Agreement.
"Anti-US Protest" (Daily Report, December 7, ROK)
A year-long US Defense Department investigation concluded that US soldiers panicked and fired into a crowd of unarmed refugees near the village of No Gun Ri in the early days of the Korean War, but did not find conclusive evidence that the troops had orders to shoot civilians. ROK and US investigators met at the War Memorial in Seoul to discuss the investigation. Kim Byoung-ho, chief policy coordinator at the ROK prime minister's office, said Thursday that the ROK wants the US to apologize and give compensation to relatives and survivors of Nogunri. Brigadier General Cha Yong-gu of the ROK Defense Ministry stated, "The Korean team depends more on the claims of victims. The Americans depend on the documents and testimony of veterans. The source is different." He added, "Basically, the United States and Korea are trying hard to share each other's view. It's not an easy problem. The more important thing is our alliance." An anonymous ROK government official said Tuesday that the US opposes including such words as "massacre" or "holocaust" in a joint statement on the Nogun-ri incident. Kim Byong-ho, chief policy coordinator at the ROK prime minister's office, said Thursday that US and ROK investigators moved closer to resolving disagreements over this issue.
"Korean War Massacre" (Daily Report, December 6, US)
"Nogunri Incident" (Daily Report, December 7, ROK)
"Nogunri Incident" (Daily Report, December 7, US)
"Korean War Massacre" (Daily Report, December 6, ROK)
"Korean War Massacre" (Daily Report, December 5, ROK)
"Korean War Massacre" (Daily Report, December 4, ROK)
"Nogunri Incident" (Daily Report, December 8, US)