- WSJ.com U.S. general praises Seoul policy October 21, 2005
DOW JONES REPRINTS This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. To order presentation-ready copies for distribution to your colleagues, clients or customers, use the Order Reprints tool at the bottom of any article or visit: www.djreprints.com. See a sample reprint in PDF format. Order a reprint of this article now. U.S. general praises Seoul policy Washington doubts aside, LaPorte says investments in North are bearing fruit By JAY SOLOMON Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL October 21, 2005; Page A13 SEOUL -- South Korea's investments and exchanges with North Korea have helped to markedly reduce tensions on the Korean peninsula over the past 18 months and have led to unprecedented cross-border visits, said Gen. Leon J. LaPorte, the Pentagon's top commander in South Korea. The upbeat appraisal of South Korea's engagement strategy toward Pyongyang came as the U.S. and North Korea prepare to begin another round of nuclear nonproliferation talks next month. A key aspect of the negotiations focuses on whether North Korea should be given economic incentives to give up its nuclear arsenal and, if so, at what scale. While many in the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush have been critical of South Korea for pumping money into the North, Gen. LaPorte said the commerce has helped to stabilize the security situation. North Korean military provocations against U.S. and South Korean troops have diminished noticeably over the past 12 to 18 months, he said, though he said he couldn't provide specific numbers. In addition, Pyongyang is opening its doors to South Korean visitors at an accelerating pace, with 40,000 making the trip in August alone, Gen. LaPorte said. The American commander, however, stressed that North Korea remains an active threat to the U.S.-South Korea military alliance, and that the presence of some 30,000 U.S. soldiers has made the improving relations between Seoul and Pyongyang possible. "I think [the two Koreas] have developed beneficially from the engagement policy. And that's a good thing," said Gen. LaPorte in a meeting with Western reporters yesterday. He noted that two years ago the number of South Korean arrivals in North Korea was very small. "The U.S. has supported South Korea's engagement policy," he said. In recent years, the South Korean government has built two major highways linking the countries. One brings South Korean tourists to the North Korean resort of Mount Kumkang on the peninsula's east coast. Another links Seoul to North Korea's newly opened Kaesong industrial park, which many South Korean corporations hope to use as a base for low-cost North Korean labor.
Gen. LaPorte says there are now around 2,000 South Koreans going to North Korea every day, though he noted almost no Koreans North make the reverse trip. Many in the Bush administration have been skeptical of Seoul's efforts to provide aid and economic incentives toward the government of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, believing it serves to prop up his authoritarian regime. Members of South Korea's government, however, have countered that this economic engagement is inducing change in Pyongyang. Gen. LaPorte's comments came in an interview with reporters traveling with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, who arrived in Seoul with other senior Pentagon officials for annual meetings with their South Korean counterparts on the future of the Washington-Seoul military alliance. U.S. and South Korean officials are expected to discuss the continuing drawdown of American forces from South Korea, as well as the desire for Seoul to take a greater financial and operational role in the alliance. The U.S. and South Korea agreed two years ago to reduce the number of American soldiers in South Korea to 25,000 by 2008 from its previous level of 37,500. Gen. LaPorte said this number would be down to 29,500 soldiers by the end of this year. One issue of particular importance during this week's meetings, said Gen. LaPorte, will be South Korea's interest in gaining operational control of the U.S.-South Korea military command during wartime. Seoul currently maintains the command, but under rules drafted after the 1950-53 Korean War, it would revert it to a U.S. general should hostilities break out. Gen. LaPorte said Seoul's desire to discuss this issue was understandable, given the growing capabilities of South Korea's armed forces. He also said these discussions are in line with efforts by the Pentagon to give South Kor...