United States sending more troops and tanks to South Korea
A Pentagon spokesman said the personnel would remain for nine months but on departing would leave their equipment behind to be used by follow-on rotations of U.S. forces.
"This addition of forces to Korea is part of the rebalance to the Pacific. It's been long planned and is part of our enduring commitment to security on the Korean peninsula," Army Colonel Steve Warren said.
"This gives the commanders in Korea an additional capacity: two companies of tanks, two companies of Bradleys," he said.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met with South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se in Washington on Tuesday and stated the U.S. position on nuclear weapons in North Korea.
"The United States and the
Republic of Korea stand very firmly united, without an inch of daylight
between us, not a sliver of daylight, on the subject of opposition to
North Korea's destabilizing nuclear and ballistic missile programs and
proliferation activities," Kerry said.
The
United States has some 28,000 troops based in South Korea, which has
remained technically at war with Communist North Korea since the
1950-1953 Korean conflict ended in stalemate.
The
deployment of additional U.S. troops comes at a time of raised tensions
on the Korean peninsula after North Korea executed the powerful uncle
of young leader Kim Jong Un last month, the biggest upheaval in years as
the ruling dynasty.
South
Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted military officials as saying that the
new U.S. troops would be deployed in North Gyeonggi Province, just south
of the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas.
U.S.
President Barack Obama announced a strategic rebalancing of U.S.
priorities toward the Pacific in late 2011 while ending the direct U.S.
military involvement in Iraq and announcing plans to wind down the long
U.S. engagement in Afghanistan.
Since
the announcement of that so-called "pivot" in foreign, economic and
security policy, the Philippines, Australia and other parts of the
region have all seen increased numbers of U.S. warships, planes and
personnel.
(Reporting by David Alexander; Writing by David Brunnstrom; Editing by Gunna Dickson)
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