USFK commander dismisses rumors of US military withdrawal from Korean Peninsula

July 2, 2020

HANKYOREH

Gen. Robert Abrams, commander of US Forces Korea (USFK) and the Combined Forces Command (CFC), dismissed claims recently made in some quarters that American troops might be removed from the Korean Peninsula as being completely groundless.

During a speech at the ROK-US Alliance Forum, held on Wednesday, Abrams was asked to address concerns that American troops might be withdrawn from the Korean Peninsula, considering that 9,500 American soldiers are being removed from Germany.

Abrams said that such concerns were completely baseless, remarking that the US was still committed to its alliance with South Korea and that its ties with the South were based on shared values and forged in the ravages of war. The general added that Americans were still committed to their responsibilities and to the defense of South Korea.

Recent reports in the international press about the US moving to pare down its troop presence in Germany have prompted some commentators in South Korea to speculate that the USFK might be reduced as well. In particular, they say that US President Donald Trump might use the threat of a troop reduction to pressure Seoul into shouldering more of the shared cost of defense. Abrams’ remarks on Wednesday are taken as a denial of such speculation.

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