주한미군 감축의 배경과 의미

Abstract

This paper purports to analyze the meaning of the reduction of the U.S. forces in Korea and the ROK-U.S. alliance today and examines what South Korea will choose toward the U.S.’ Global Defense Posture Review (GPR). Washington informed Seoul in June of its idea to relocate some 12,500 soldiers of the total 37,500-strong USFK by the end of 2005, which it explained was part of a larger plan to restructure its global defense posture and South Korea and the United States have agreed to deploy an infantry brigade of about 4,000 infantrymen stationed here to Iraq. Though the move will deplete the U.S. forces in South Korea by more than 10 percent, the reduction plan has raised concerns here as it might lead to a weakening of the combined defense posture against North Korea under the deeply depended situation of South Korea on U.S. forces against the DPRK. In future Seoul government must prepare the followings; national agreement for resoling the instability and doubt of people on the future national security capabilities, setting forth the ROK-U.S. relationship on the matter in line with the change of the World environment, holding out the principle of peaceful way to end the North’s nuke issues, and building the clearly security consciousness facing for us today.