South Korea will bolster military ties with its long-time Cold War rivals China and Russia in an effort to play a balancing role in Northeast Asia and help stabilize the Korean peninsula, Seoul's defense chief said. The move is consistent with the stated intention of President Roh Moo-Hyun to adopt a more "independent" foreign policy from the United States.
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South Korea's Defense Minister Yoon Kwang-Ung.
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"We plan to strengthen military cooperation with China, upgrading the Seoul-Beijing security exchanges to a level similar to those between South Korea and Japan," said Defense Minister Yoon Kwang-Ung upon returning from a visit to China.
"As we understand China wants to back peace and stability on the Korean peninsula, we plan to strengthen our military exchanges with China, including making defense minister meetings a regular occurrence," Yoon told reporters. "It's worth thinking about plans to help stability on the Korean peninsula with China's assistance," he said.
Upbeat about Seoul's pursuit of closer ties with Beijing, China's Ambassador to South Korea Li Bin said his country would give "unreserved" support to South Korea's move to play the role of a stabilizer for peace and prosperity in Northeast Asia.
South Korea's opposition party warned the Roh government's move toward a balancing security role could lead to diplomatic isolation.
"We are concerned about President Roh's move to break away from our alliances with the United States," said Park Geun-Hye, leader of the main opposition Grand National Party. "The Seoul-Washington security alliance is vital to the security of South Korea."
U.S. military officials refused to comment on Seoul's moves towards China and Russia, saying they would not intervene in Seoul's diplomatic affairs.
A U.S. Army aviation battalion will be withdrawn from South Korea in May as part of Washington's global troop realignment program. The U.S. military has already cut its troop level in South Korea by 5,000 to 32,500. The number is set to be further slashed to 25,000 by 2008. The reduction of the U.S. military presence in S. Korea and its new regional mission have contributed to strains in the alliance, further exacerbated by the nationalist mood of the younger generation of voters who were born after the Korean War.
In another diplomatic effort toward a new role on the balance of power among Pacific powers, Yoon is scheduled to visit Russia this week to seek closer military ties. He plans to meet Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov on April 22 to discuss ways to ensure peace and stability on the Korean peninsula.
Seoul and Beijing have agreed to have working-level talks twice a year and defense minister meetings every two years, a senior defense official said.
Seoul and Tokyo are Washington's two closest allies in the standoff over North Korea's nuclear weapons ambitions and in coping with possible threats from China, the only remaining communist ally of Pyongyang.
China rescued North Korea in the 1950-53 Korean War against U.S.-backed South Korea, when it sent some 1 million troops. More than 400 Chinese soldiers were killed on the battlefield. South Korea didn't establish diplomatic relations with China until 1992.
During his five-day trip last week, Yoon met his Chinese counterpart, Cao Gangchuan, and other top military leaders. The defense ministers' talks, the first between the two neighbors since 2001, came as South Korea and the United States have called on China to exercise its influence to coax Pyongyang back to the stalled nuclear disarmament talks.
