Posted on 2/6/2003, 3:08:08 PM by AmericanInTokyo
Majority of (South) Koreans Object to Withdrawal of US Troops’
By Sung Tae-kyung
Staff Reporter (Korea Times)
``The North Korean nuclear issue must be solved peacefully because if the United States attacks North Korea, they will attack us,” said Hahn Hwa-kap, chairman of the (conciliatory w/North Korea) South Korean Millennium Democratic Party (MDP), adding that he conveyed the standpoint of the government to U.S. Congressmen during his recent visit to Washington.
In an interview with The Korea Times, Hahn, a third-term lawmaker, expressed concern over talks in the U.S. on the possibility of withdrawing the 37,000 American troops stationed in South Korea, due to misunderstanding of the candlelight vigils held here as anti-American rallies.
Thousands have gathered in the heart of Seoul to mourn the deaths of two schoolgirls who were accidentally crushed by a U.S. armored vehicle and asked for revision on the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA). According to the agreement governing U.S. soldiers here, South Korean courts do not have jurisdiction over the crimes committed by GIs.
``Would we be asking for revision of the SOFA if we want them out?’’ said Hahn. ``When I met former secretary of state James A. Baker in Washington, he told me the U.S. will pull out its soldiers if that is what the Korean people want.’’ But Hahn explained that Baker had hinted that once the U.S. army is removed, regardless of what happens on the Korean peninsula, the U.S. would no longer be able to lend an immediate hand because there would be no base.
``So I told him that an absolute majority of Koreans object to the withdrawal of the U.S. soldiers. After I mentioned that at the South-North summit President Kim Dae-jung and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il had agreed on the necessity of U.S. soldiers on the peninsula even after reunification, the issue was not brought up again.’’ Hahn said.
According to the MDP chairman, although several Congressmen he met seemed more concerned about matters regarding the SOFA than the North Korean nuclear issue, the administration was not considering a pullout. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly has said that the media had inaccurately described the candlelight vigils as an expression of anti-American sentiment, he added.
Regarding the North Korean aid scandal, Hahn said he hopes to see President Kim Dae-jung speak directly to the people and ask understanding. But he added that if too much is revealed, inter-Korean relations could be in jeopardy. ``If specific details on how much money was transferred to North Korea are disclosed, trust in the North would be broken and dialogue could be deadlocked.’’
Since Roh Moo-hyun was elected president last December, Hahn has been under pressure by a reformist faction to step down from the party’s chairmanship. ``I have already packed and cleaned out my desk at my office in MDP headquarters,’’ said Hahn, partially confirming his resignation before Roh’s inauguration on Feb. 25.
``I will step down to give Roh a free hand,” he said, adding he was worried how he will explain the decision to the approximately 15,000 delegates who voted for him as leader of the party.
Hahn also spoke of the Robert Kim case and said he had requested the Baker & Botts law firm of the U.S. to take the case pro bono and it was under consideration. ``A petition by some high-powered congressman will be followed. But as it is under process, it is hard to say their names,’’ he said.
Robert Kim, a former civilian employee of U.S. naval intelligence, was convicted of secretly providing classified information to the Korean Embassy in Washington in 1996, and is still in prison.
An apology and a sewing back together of all those USA flags ripped up in Seoul by radical, spoiled South Korean students who yearn for "The Good Life in Pyongyang", would be a nice start.
(1) Robert Kim should be hung, not amnestied.
(2) South Koreans are idiots if they think bribing the North will bring either peace or reunification.
In fact, thanks for all the great info you provide here. You are truly an asset to Free Republic!
It will not bring freedom or prosperity, but strengthing North Korea could very well bring peace and reunification.
Just not in the way that they'd like.
Political, labor, and student demonstrations and marches have on occasion become confrontational and/or violent. In September 2002, three U.S. soldiers were confronted by a group of activists on a train, and one of the soldiers was forcibly taken to an anti-American demonstration and held against his will for three hours. Later that month, firebombs were hurled at a U.S. military installation near Uijongbu. In October 2002, a group of seven demonstrators climbed over the wall of the U.S. Embassy in Seoul and attempted to set the American flag on fire.
Although the Republic of Korea is generally safe, American citizens in the Republic of Korea can minimize personal risks to themselves and their property by exercising caution and avoiding areas in which demonstrations are being held, as well as by avoiding confrontation with protestors.
Can James Kelly explain why this travel warning is straight from the U.S. Department of State
Well I strolled around Chongro-gu in Central Seoul near the US Embassy a few weeks ago. Nobody so much as put a finger on me or stared, and I was in a crowd of nearly 20,000 anti US types very near me. Some were just along for the ride and wanted SOFA revision and an apology, but others, the more radical leaders, were clearly pro-NK and wanted US troops out.
I did see several "No Americans Allowed" signs on just a few S. Korean coffee shop. It was more or less a national temper tantrum, more than anything else.
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