Fewer bases, same number of troops in South Korea, US ambassador says

The new U.S. ambassador to South Korea said this week that the only impending change to the U.S. military presence on the peninsula will be the relocation of servicemembers to a smaller number of bases — not a decrease in troop levels.

During a forum Tuesday, Ambassador Sung Kim addressed longstanding concerns that the U.S. might station fewer troops in South Korea as part of the military’s overall cost-cutting efforts. Many South Koreans believe such a move would make their country more vulnerable to a North Korean attack, particularly following the death of dictator Kim Jong Il in December and uncertainty about his enigmatic son and successor, Kim Jong Un.

Sung Kim said the relocation of most troops in Seoul or north of the capital city to hubs in Pyeongtaek and Daegu — scheduled to take place “sometime around the year 2016” — would reduce the number of U.S. installations from 107 to 48. But the force level of about 28,500 U.S. troops in the country would remain stable.

His remarks come about one week before U.S. and North Korean envoys are scheduled to meet in Beijing to discuss the North’s denuclearization program.