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| China-Japan-Koreas |
| South Korea to downsize military by 180,000 |
| 2005-09-06 |
| South Korea's Defense Ministry plans to drastically downsize its army as part of efforts to reform its army-dominated military, officials said Monday. Under the plan, the ministry will reduce the number of its overall troops to 500,000 from current 680,000 by 2020, which would mostly affect army personnel, they said. Instead, the military will be equipped with high-tech weapons and equipment to maintain its deterrence against North Korea. Reorganizing the army-dominated military while boosting navy, air force is a major policy goal of President Roh Moo-hyun who is seeking to reduce the country's security dependency on the U.S. military. Roh has vowed to develop his country's defenses independent of the United States within 10 years, pledging to lay the groundwork for the self-defense system during his five-year term that ends in 2008 with massive military build-up programs. Defense Minister Yoon Kwang-ung has reported to Roh a set of measures to revamp the South Korean military, focused on reorganizing his ground combat organizations. The military plan calls for the creation of a guided-missile unit to cope with threats from North Korea's long-range artilleries deployed along the inter-Korean border. "Though our troop level will be reduced, we will be changed into high-tech and technology- and science-focused forces," the official said. The United States currently keeps 32,500 troops in South Korea after withdrawing about 5,000 soldiers last year. Washington plans to reshape American troops in South Korea as "rapid deployment forces" to interfere in military conflicts in Northeast Asia, under the posture of "strategic flexibility." |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |
| #5 |
| Posted by: anonymous2u 2005-09-06 17:19 |
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| Posted by: Snaise Slaling6562 2005-09-06 12:30 |
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| Posted by: Mrs. Davis 2005-09-06 11:55 |
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| Posted by: Kim 2005-09-06 11:49 |
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| Posted by: Jackal 2005-09-06 10:35 |