South Korea said Wednesday it plans to launch a U.S. Korean War veterans group to honor them for their service and help enhance ties between the allies.
U.S. troops began to be stationed in South Korea in earnest with the outbreak of the 1950-53 Korean War. Currently, some 28,500 soldiers are here to deter aggressions from North Korea.
“The defense ministry has a plan to set up the group for the American service personnel who had served here,” a senior Seoul official said on condition of anonymity. “The entity, expected to be set up in the U.S., is tentatively named, the Korea Defense Veterans Association.”
“We are planning to raise the issue during the upcoming Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue and to ask for support from the U.S. government,” he said, citing the high-level bilateral meeting slated for April 14-15 in Washington.
“It will be a chance to thank the veterans for their commitment to peace on the Korean Peninsula,” the official said, adding Seoul expects them to play a key role “in opening the future of mutual prosperity.”
During the planned talks next week, the two sides are also to discuss ways to further boost coordination to deter and counter threats from the communist North.
The seventh KIDD will be followed by the two-day deputy minister-level talks of the Defense Trilateral Talks between South Korea, the U.S. and Japan in Washington starting April 16.
“On the occasion of the planned trilateral meeting, we will once again make it clear and strongly deliver our stance to Japan that Dokdo is South Korea’s territory by history, geography and international law,” the official said.
Japan has renewed its claim to South Korea’s eastern most islets of Dokdo in the East Sea, worsening the already-frayed Seoul-Tokyo relations.
“We, however, are to hold the trilateral talks as planned, as efforts to boost security cooperation should be pushed for, apart from historic issues,” the official added.
During the DTT, the three countries are expected to discuss ways to increase cooperation on missile defense, information sharing and other matters of mutual interest. (Yonhap)
