In Search of Lost Time

The U.S. finances the program, while South Korea has contributed about 70 billion won annually to manage the stockpile. With the termination of the program, Seoul is likely to have to spend some 1 trillion won to get what it needs, the officials said. A bill over the program's termination is now pending in the U.S. Congress.

In a letter to former Defense Minister Cho Young-gil dated May 21, 2004, former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz said the U.S. government will terminate the war reserve stocks program by 2006. The Critical Requirements Deficiency List program, including bombs and equipment needed within the first 30 days after the outbreak of a war, already suspended last year, according to the letter.

The government, however, denied speculation that the U.S.' plan to dump its preposition supplies here might be an expression of Washington's discontent at Seoul, regarding the negotiations of defense costs to cut the country's share and the ``balancer" policy.

``The termination of the WRSA program has been going on at global level,'' ministry spokesman Shin Hyun-don said in a press briefing. ``The U.S. first notified us of the issue in 2000, long before the so-called balancer policy emerged.''

The WRSA programs with the Philippines, Taiwan and Thailand ended before 2002, he said. South Korea and Israel only maintain the programs.

In a move toward building an independent defense system, the ministry said Monday that it is considering procuring 1,000 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) bombs. The plan aims to enhance independent deterrent capabilities against some 3,000 long-range artilleries deployed near the Demilitarized Zone by the North.

The JDAM, dubbed ``smart bombs,'' are cutting-edge missiles guided by global positioning satellite technology. With the JDAM kits, South Korea's military force would be able to carry out a surgical strike, accurately destroying North Korea's artillery capabilities, the officials said.

South Korea's 'balancer' policy attacked
By Choe Sang-Hun, International Herald Tribune
Saturday, April 9, 2005

SEOUL South Korea's main opposition leader on Friday berated a government's policy of seeking a balancing role in Northeast Asia, saying it would damage the country's alliance with the United States.

President Roh Moo Hyun of South Korea recently stressed that his government would play a "balancer's role" in the region. Speaking at a military academy in mid-March, he said: "The map of power in Northeast Asia could shift, depending on what choice we make."

Government officials said Roh's comments reflected South Korea's desire to help control the increasing friction between China and Japan, both suspected of aspiring to regional dominance amid rising nationalism in both countries.

A high-ranking government official rejected the charge, saying Roh's policy was primarily designed to help stop a possible arms race between China and Japan. But he said South Korea also does not want Washington to create military tension with China.

"The alliance between South Korea and the United State is a healthy one," said the official, who refused to be named.

The official acknowledged that "One possible scenario we can imagine in which our policy of playing a balancing role gets in conflict with our alliance with the United States is when Washington considers China a threat and engages in a confrontation with China by helping Japan build up its arms."