8th U.S. Army staying in Korea

The U.S. military has decided to retain its 8th Army headquarters on the peninsula even after South Korea takes over wartime operational control of its armed forces from the United States, a Seoul government source said yesterday.

The 8th Army has long been the symbol of U.S. military commitment to South Korea, but expectations had been high recently that Washington will withdraw the unit from the peninsula in line with the U.S. military`s global-wide troop realignment plan.

"The fate of the U.S. 8th Army has recently drawn keen interest over whether it will remain or leave the peninsula. As far as I know, the U.S. side has determined to continue maintaining the 8th Army headquarters on the peninsula. The name of the unit will also remain intact," said the source, who is well acquainted with the U.S. military.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source said the 8th Army, currently an administrative unit, will transform to a war-fighting command to lead American ground troop operations here after the transition of operational control scheduled in 2012.

After reorganization, the unit will be attached to a new top U.S. military command in South Korea that will replace the current U.S. Forces Korea command. The new command is tentatively named U.S. KORCOM, he said.

But U.S. Forces Korea said yesterday it has received no official notice from higher authorities regarding the decision.

"I have no knowledge on that. We are not in a position to confirm it," USFK spokesman Kim Yong-kyu said.

Last September, USFK commander Gen. Burwell Bell hinted that the 8th U.S. Army headquarters will face a significant change in the near future in line with the ongoing transformation within the U.S. military.

Stressing that the unit currently plays the limited role of accepting U.S. reinforcement troops coming from the United States, the American general strongly showed his intention to restructure the roles and organization of the 8th Army.

South Korean military sources suggest his remarks indicated that the 8th Army headquarters could be dissolved or consolidated into the U.S. Pacific Command in Hawaii.

South Korean people were concerned that deactivation of the 8th Army could be a signal for further U.S. reduction of troops on the peninsula. They say troop reduction will lead to a weakening of the military alliance between Seoul and Washington, increasing the vulnerability of South Korea. Beginning in 2004, Washington began downsizing its troop numbers from 37,500 to a planned 25,000 in 2008.

The 8th Army is a U.S. military command that fought for South Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War. It has been stationed on the peninsula since 1955 as a main deterrent against North Korea.



By Jin Dae-woong



(davidpooh@heraldm.com)