The US and South Korea marked the 50th anniversary of their military alliance yesterday, praising their joint deterrence of the North but unsure whether Seoul will send troops to Iraq as Washington has sought.
The US -- which has 37,000 troops in the South to help ward off a communist attack -- has asked South Korea for combat troops to help stabilize post-war Iraq. A South Korean newspaper has quoted a US official as saying Washington would like 5,000 troops and a decision by mid-October.
PHOTO: AP
Artillery salutes reverberated around Seoul from the main US base at Yongsan in the heart of the capital and soldiers of both armed forces marched past dignitaries and 200 US and South Korean veterans of the 1950-53 Korean War.
"The mutual defense treaty and the strength of our partnership have successfully deterred North Korea and guaranteed the stability necessary for [South] Korea to rebuild," US Ambassador Thomas Hubbard said in a speech at the ceremony to mark the Oct. 1, 1953, signing of the military pact.
"Today, [South] Koreans are rightly proud of what they have built. They look at their economic and military strength and draw the inevitable conclusion that the South has effectively won the race on the peninsula," he said.
South Korean Defense Minster Cho Young-kil also praised the alliance's deterrent role but, like Hubbard, noted that it needed to be adapted to new challenges and technological advances.
"We cannot be satisfied with the current alliance. We have an important task ahead of us," said Cho.
Hubbard noted that Seoul had peacekeepers deployed in East Timor and non-combat troops in Afghanistan and Iraq as part of the country's growing role in world affairs.
Asked later whether Seoul could say "no" to the latest US troop request given their alliance, Hubbard told reporters: "South Korea is one of those nations that has a strong military capability and has a very large army, so we think it is appropriate that South Korea considers how it might help."
"Obviously any decision on this is one that only the South Korean government and people can make," he said.
South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun told senior US military officers at dinner on Monday that his country could repay the US for its help over the past half-century by contributing to global peace. But he did not commit himself on the Iraq request.
Roh is caught between turning down his main ally and alienating the public before an April parliamentary election.
The government has said it is studying Washington's request.
Finance Minister Kim Jin-pyo said on Monday that the deployment of additional South Korean troops to Iraq would aid South Korea's economy by reassuring investors who are worried about any discord between the two over dealing with North Korea's nuclear ambitions.
UN forces led by the US battled Chinese-backed North Korea in the Korean War, which ended in a truce that has since kept the two in a technical state of war.
North Korea used the anniversary of the treaty as an occasion to renew its call for a non-aggression pact with Washington.
Hubbard said that despite changes in the South, the threat from the North was undiminished and the alliance was crucial.
"Even as we pursue multilateral diplomacy to resolve the North Korea nuclear problem ... our two countries must continue to maintain our strong combined deterrent," he said.
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
A Croatian town has come up with a novel solution to solve the issue of working parents when there are no public childcare spaces available: pay grandparents to do it. Samobor, near the capital, Zagreb, has become the first in the country to run a “Grandmother-Grandfather Service,” which pays 360 euros (US$400) a month per child. The scheme allows grandparents to top up their pension, but the authorities also hope it will boost family ties and tackle social isolation as the population ages. “The benefits are multiple,” Samobor Mayor Petra Skrobot told reporters. “Pensions are rather low and for parents it is sometimes
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
RSS