South Korea’s main opposition party leader said Friday he believes U.S. troops should remain in the country in the event of inter-Korean reunification to help ensure peace and stability in the region.
Moon Jae-in, chairman of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD), made the remarks in a meeting with Gideon Rachman, chief foreign affairs columnist for the Financial Times, according to the party’s senior spokesman Kim Yung-rok, who sat in on the meeting.
“As (U.S. Forces Korea) contribute to maintaining peace between the two Koreas and maintaining a balance and peace in the entire Northeast Asian region, we need them,” the spokesman quoted Moon as saying during the meeting at the National Assembly building in Seoul.
About 28,500 American troops are currently stationed in South Korea to deter North Korean aggression as the 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty, leaving the two Korean states technically at war.
“The role of U.S. Forces Korea must be maintained even after reunification,” Moon said, according to Kim. “U.S. Forces Korea are needed until a Northeast Asian security regime is formed.”
The NPAD leader also urged the administration of President Park Geun-hye to restore dialogue between the Koreas without pre-conditions in order to open the path to reunification.
“In order to bear fruit during the Park Geun-hye government’s term, there must be a summit within the year,” he said. “If the government takes such an approach, we will not spare our cooperation.”
The Park administration’s single, five-year term ends in February 2018, and by law, the president cannot seek re-election.
Earlier in the day, Moon also met with Chinese ambassador to Seoul Qui Guohong and accepted the envoy’s invitation to visit China.
“I would like to visit China as soon as possible and discuss such issues as the situation in Northeast Asia and ways to develop bilateral ties,” he said.
Moon also called for China’s “active role” in reunifying the two Koreas. (Yonhap)
