Via the Marmot’s Hole comes this article posted on War is Boring by Kyle Mizokami who advocates for the removal of US troops from the Korean peninsula:
Imagine you possess the 15th-largest economy in the world. You have world-class cars and consumer goods, glittering streets and a lifestyle as good as any in the industrialized world.
Now, imagine you are being threatened by a hostile country one third as wealthy as Ethiopia.
Ethiopia.
In order to protect yourself from this economic juggernaut, you require the presence of nearly 30,000 American troops, the overpowering might of the U.S. nuclear arsenal and an American general to take charge in case this mighty opponent attacks
Laughable, right? Not at all. Welcome to South Korea.
It’s time for the United States to leave the Korean peninsula. South Korea can defend itself. [War is Boring]
You can read the rest at the link, but the removal of US troops from Korea is an issue that has been discussed repeatedly and will not happen as long as keeping USFK in place is in each country’s national interest. I have posted about this issue long ago and these points are still valid:
- Korean economic impact
- Impact on foreign investment
- Korean defense spending
- Loss of Korean political influence in Washington
- Moderating American reactions to North Korea
- Political apathy
- Power of the status quo
As far as the US military goes the North Korean threat justifies maintaining certain budget levels in the Pacific and an additional four-star command. For the US government USFK provides political influence with South Korea which prevents China from dominating South Korea’s foreign policy which has been the case for most of Korea’s history.
Then there is the nuclear weapons question. If the US military withdraws it suddenly becomes in the national interest of the ROK to develop nuclear weapons to counter-North Korea. If the ROK develops nuclear weapons would Japan do so as well? To further compound this issue is that China would have to increase the amount of nuclear weapons they currently have to counter the US to also counter the ROK and possibly Japan. A withdrawal of USFK could lead to a large nuclear arms race in the region.
Finally and most importantly people need to remember there hasn’t been a war on the Korean peninsula in over 60 years and there is a reason for that, USFK. The US military is the strategic balancer in the region that is preventing one of the other three great powers from seeking hegemony over the region which has historically been the case. Keeping a few thousand US troops on the Korean peninsula to maintain this balance is worth the cost to keep stability in such an economically important area of the world. If someone wants to argue we have too many or not the right amount of troops in Korea I am open to that argument, but to completely remove USFK I do not see the benefit to the US or South Korea.
Anyone else have any other points they want to share on why the US military should or should not stay in South Korea?