South Korea: US troops 'must stay'

Soldiers show their mettle during the ceremony in Seoul

South Korea's President Kim Dae-jung has insisted the 100,000 US troops currently stationed in South Korea and Japan must remain - despite the recent warming in relations with North Korea.

Mr Kim was delivering a televised address as ceremonies took place across the country to mark the 50th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War.

The North showed substantial understanding on my explanation of the need for the US troops

Kim Dae-jung

He said that, despite optimism over the success of the recent Pyongyang summit with the North's leader Kim Jong-Il, there could be no lapses in vigilance.

South Korea could not afford to relax security in the slightest, until unification and a lasting peace were fully achieved.

At the same time, Mr Kim said the important lesson from the Korean War was that both countries must pledge never again to turn guns against each other.

Any new war, he said, would destroy the whole Korean peninsula.

American troops

Mr Kim said the North Korean leader had shown understanding of Seoul's rationale for keeping US forces on the peninsula.

US troops in South Korea had a visit recently from Defence Secretary William Cohen

He had told Kim Jong-il that US troops would be needed, even after reunification, "to maintain the balance of power in north-east Asia".

"The North showed substantial understanding on my explanation of the need for US troops. I am reporting this to you as a major accomplishment made during my visit to Pyongyang," he said.

About 10,000 people, including many war veterans, attended a ceremony in the South Korean capital to mark the Korean War anniversary.

The conflict broke out when Chinese and Russian-backed North Korean troops invaded the South on June 25th 1950.

UN veterans

Representatives from 21 countries who took part in the United Nations-led intervention to help the South, attended the ceremony.

The two leaders hit it off unexpectedly well

Many wore full military uniform, displaying medals earned in action.

The three year conflict - often termed the forgotten war - left more than three million dead, wounded or missing, most of them civilians.

The South Korean government has planned various events over the next three years to mark the anniversary, but many of these are now being scaled down, as a result of the Pyongyang summit.

The Defence Ministry in Seoul cancelled a veterans' military parade scheduled for Sunday and a number of battle re-enactments in response to similar gestures by the North.

The moves have angered some veterans, who accuse the Seoul government of trying too hard to please North Korea and undermining their sacrifices.

But others say, now that a new process has begun to reduce tension and hostility on the peninsula, the anniversary should be used to promote reconciliation between the two Cold War enemies.