Comments on: USFK commander honors fallen Korean soldiers

By: dogbert

dogbert — Fri, 05 Aug 2005 20:34:43 +0000

I usually hear that from LaPorte’s wife on AFN in a heavy New York accent.

By: kleintag

kleintag — Fri, 05 Aug 2005 15:42:19 +0000

So the tie here is far closer than in Germany, that’s why Mr. LaPorte’s remark could be regarded as a normal and good approach.

By: kleintag

kleintag — Fri, 05 Aug 2005 15:35:33 +0000

Paul H : The main reason Mr. LaPorte could comment that way may lie in the military structure of ROK. Its military capability is heavily depending on the support from U.S. troops. As far as I know, the main military role of ROK has been confined to that of Army, I mean a ground force. As a result, most of military budget of ROK are still being spent maintaining the Army of about 650,000. With this kind of military structure, U.S. military support is not a choice but a necessity at the moment in South Korea. Since 90s there has been a long term plan to build a balanced military force but still Korea needs U.S. for maintaining its military capability.

By: kleintag

kleintag — Fri, 05 Aug 2005 15:24:15 +0000

Kushibo : Your view seems to need some correction partly. After DJ gerverment, there has been a tension between goverment and some far right group. Chosun Ilbo is recognized as a speaker for that right group. And it’s the Chosun Ilbo that raised question for ROK’s military capability. You can check its articles.

As a political party, current woori party shares some common political views with the Democrat of U.S.
even though in reality they seem to behave as a Republican. In my opinion, you have to distinguish the right from the political group related to the corruptions and the dictatorship of the Korean political history.

Anyway, as I mentioned above, I like Mr. LaPorte’s remark. With the current reality of U.S. troops stations at the center of Seoul, it would be very important for both countries to build more confident relationship through honest talks like this. Most of Korean people still take it granted to consider U.S. as their most import and closet ally.

By: usinkorea

usinkorea — Fri, 05 Aug 2005 15:07:04 +0000

The most compelling statement by the Korean press, for me, in regards to USFK came on the 1st and 2nd anniversaries of the West Sea Battle which was also near the anniveraries of the 2 middle school girls crushed by the USFK armored vehicle. I don’t know if the media’s comments struck home to Koreans (or others) as it did me, but when they pointed out in rather blunt language quotes from the families of those dead sailors about how USFK remembered their fallen sons and sent letters of condolence, but the South Korean government and military remained silent, that touched me in a rather stark way.

By: Kushibo

Kushibo — Fri, 05 Aug 2005 14:56:02 +0000

Paul H. wrote:Presumably his position as the wartime C in C of all ROK troops gives him the latitude. Maybe I??m imagining it, but it seems to me that he must see something very serious happening in civil-military relations within the ROK to make such a comment (?)It’s already happened. The far left, which informs much of the Roh administration, has long seen the ROK military as a tool of the military-led regimes at large and they don’t trust them. There have been major incidents like those foreigner mentioned in #5, but even minor ones become a pretext to bash the military which some of them see as a potential threat.

But I think LaPorte’s message is a good one and it won’t be seen by most people as siding with militarists or anything. The rest of the country other than the far left is not living in the 1970s, and they know the current, unrelated incidents he’s referring to.

By: foreigner

foreigner — Fri, 05 Aug 2005 14:40:59 +0000

Paul H., in Korea recently there have been a number of incidents involving ROK soldiers over the last year–murders, training deaths, embezzlement (by some officers), AWOLs, and so on, and LaPorte is probably aiming that comment at everybody in Korea (North and South, I guess).

By: Paul H.

Paul H. — Fri, 05 Aug 2005 10:36:11 +0000

Quote from Gen LaPorte’s letter (English version:

“…While critics suggest the ROK military may lack discipline or high morale, I do not share this view….From your youngest service member to your most experienced leaders, your formations are graced with principled men and women who take great pride in serving this nation. While there may be the occasional act of indiscipline…”

Can anyone tell me what “critics” the general is referring to? From the context language I presume they must be segments of ROK society (not the North or the US, I don’t think he would address critics from these places in this particular format).

I find this comment striking, even extraordinary, in that a US general appears to be openly and officially addressing matters internal to the military of an ally (a topic that would be off-limits, say, for a US commander in Germany. I can’t imagine a similar comment about the “discipline” of German troops being made in a similar letter from the US NATO commander, published in a German newspaper).

Presumably his position as the wartime C in C of all ROK troops gives him the latitude. Maybe I’m imagining it, but it seems to me that he must see something very serious happening in civil-military relations within the ROK to make such a comment (?)

By: hardyandtiny

hardyandtiny — Fri, 05 Aug 2005 08:54:03 +0000

katchikapshida is from a USFK commander in the 80’s.

By: kleintag

kleintag — Fri, 05 Aug 2005 08:53:52 +0000

I agree with you for his phrase