US rules out troop cuts in South Korea

US Secretary of State John Kerry has ruled out the idea of reducing the number of American troops deployed in the Korean Peninsula.

Kerry said on Friday that it was premature to discuss reducing US military presence amid tensions on the Korean Peninsula. 

He said US troops stationed in Asia and South Korea will remain in the region until North Korea shows that it is committed to rejoining six-party talks on ending its nuclear program.

“The mere entering into talks is not an invitation to take any actions regarding troops or anything else at this point. It would be way too premature to have any thought, or even discussion” along those lines, Kerry said.

Kerry added that the talks are aimed at reaching an understanding on North Korea’s denuclearization and its follow up rather an invitation on reducing troops or anything else.

On Thursday, US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Washington and Seoul have agreed that the US will maintain its control over the South Korean army in the event of war with North Korea.

The US was scheduled to transfer wartime control of South Korean troops to Seoul in 2015.

Hagel said the handoff will be delayed to a later time to ensure South Korean troops have the necessary military capabilities to thwart the North’s threat.

He also reaffirmed that Washington would maintain the previous number and structure of its military forces in South Korea.

The US has kept combat forces on the Korean Peninsula since the Korean War in the early 1950s. Pyongyang says Washington’s continued hegemonic control in the region is provocative.

The US has 28,500 troops in South Korea, which has its own 640,000-strong force. In the event of war with North Korea, current plans call for a US military commander to lead both forces.

GJH/GJH