‘S. Korea-US Alliance Manifested in FTA’
Korea Times
‘S. Korea-US Alliance Manifested in FTA’
By Jung Sung-ki, Staff Reporter
7 June 2007
The half-century Korea-U.S. military alliance will continue to evolve throughout the 21st century because of the two countries’ convergence of national interests'' beyond security issues, the top U.S. military officer said.
In a lecture at Korea University in Seoul late last month, Gen. B. B. Bell, commander of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), stressed the importance of developing strong, social, political and economic ties between the two nations.
Bell, who concurrently serves as chief of the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command and the United Nations Command, cited the Seoul-Washington free trade agreement struck in April as a case in point reflecting the development of the alliance.Our two nations share common interests in a peaceful and stable international system, within which people can move and trade freely and securely,’’ said the four-star army general. When we couple this with our political, cultural, historical and mutual economic interests, the ties that bind our alliance are comprehensive and remain, in my view, very healthy and very strong.''The ROK-U.S. free trade agreement, although not yet ratified by the National Assembly and the United States Congress, demonstrates the degree of trust and fidelity between our nations,’’ he said. To put it bluntly, those who opine, who say, the imminent demise of the ROK-U.S. alliance is near, in my view, demonstrate their limited understanding of the depth of our relationship, the strength of our shared history and the tremendous possibilities of our future.''
Bell emphasized the significance of stability and security in Northeast Asia, expressing concern about North Korea's missile and nuclear weapons program.While the possibility of a conventional attack from North Korea has, in my view, diminished, North Korea remains a threat because it has the capability to create regional and even global instability with its missile production and nuclear weapons program,’’ said Bell.
