6,000 US Troops in Seoul to be Redeloyed: USFK Commander

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, June 04, 2003

6,000 US Troops in Seoul to be Redeloyed: USFK Commander

The United States Forces Korea (USFK) plans to move out 6,000 of its total 7,000 troops stationed in Seoul, reported South Korean local English newspaper The Korea Herald on Wednesday.

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The United States Forces Korea (USFK) plans to move out 6,000 of its total 7,000 troops stationed in Seoul, reported South Korean local English newspaper The Korea Herald on Wednesday.

In a forum at the South Korean National Assembly on Tuesday, Leon J. LaPorte, the commander of USFK said "it is not desirable for the USFK to maintain all of its 7,000 soldiers in Seoul, where more than 10 million people reside."

Although Seoul and Washington agreed in April that the USFK will relocate its headquarters in Yongsan Base in central Seoul as soon as possible, it was the first time that the US military official disclosed the number of its troops to be redeployed.

LaPorte also said, "Washington plans to invest 220 million US dollars in Camp Humphrey in Pyeongtaek in Gyeonggi Province, a city south near Seoul, to help assimilate the troop relocation, onthe condition that Seoul grants more land there for US use," according to the report.

The four-star general said his government's 11 billion US dollar plan to enhance its forces in the Asian country is aimed purely for defense of the peninsula from outside threats.

And in a related move, a squadron of AH-64D Longbow Apache attack helicopters will arrive here next week.

The USFK announced the enhancement plan last week aiming to promote its military power here in the coming four years.

Moreover, he echoed the remarks by US Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz that Seoul should increase its national defense budget, which currently stands at 2.7 percent of the nation's GDP.

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