This has been something Korea has long sought and it is just a Presidential signature away from becoming a reality:
The U.S. Senate passed Thursday a bill aimed at granting the most preferential treatment to South Korea in government-to-government sales of U.S. weapons systems, a Cheong Wa Dae official said.
He called it a “symbolic move” to signal further strengthening the Korea-U.S. alliance.
The House of Representatives already passed similar legislation Sept. 24 that would give South Korea the same privileged foreign military sales (FMS) status as members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and three other nations ? Australia, Japan and New Zealand ? known as NATO+3.
The fate of the bill now rests in the U.S. President.
“Since the mid-1990s, South Korea has asked the U.S. to upgrade its FMS status, but failed to make progress. But the bill has finally been approved by the U.S. Congress six years after Presidents Lee Myung-bak and George W. Bush agreed on the issue in April at their summit at Camp David,” the official told reporters, asking not to be named.
“Now we can call the highest U.S. FMS group `NATO+4,”’ he said. “That is a symbolic move to prove the Korea-U.S. alliance has been upgraded further. [Korea Times]
The Korea Times article also has a good breakdown on just how much arms the Korean government buys from the US:
South Korea has purchased $6.9 billion worth of U.S. defense goods over the past decade with the figure breaking down to $840 million in 2007 and $610 million in 2006, both the eighth biggest among foreign buyers, according to Seoul’s government data.
South Korea bought $1.52 billion worth of defense products from the United States on a commercial basis in the fiscal year 2007.
Seoul is expected to purchase more than $57 billion worth of military equipment from the United States by 2020, according to arms procurement agency officials.
This should be a win-win for each side involved with Korea getting access to advanced weapons technology, US defense contractors making a fortune, as well as hopefully giving the US government the flexibility to withdraw more forces from the peninsula with the Korean military buying arms to take up defense responsibilities that USFK servicemembers are currently holding.
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7:34 pm on October 4th, 2008 1
“A win-win for both sides as the US may be able to withdraw more troops.” With a total of 25-30,000 US troops in Korea, there is no longer a need for any combat troops. Air force, perhaps, and some liaison as well as intel, but any remaining combat oriented US troops no longer need to be there. It will remove a thorn from both sides. The total should be more around 7,500, mostly airforce. No longer an irritant, but there if needed.
10:22 pm on October 4th, 2008 2
As I have always advocated…we need to participate in the defense of Korea from a distance…which U.S. policy attempts to do, but with appeasements to make Korea feel like we really give a flying F@#k.
The “Smack Down” has to happen…it is inevitable. Something about Northern asians makes it so.
If we…America, are smart we would just prepare for it and let the dogs out…cleaning up in the end.