Writing : Summarize the article

[ Summary - the final draft - ]


In Korea Times, November 14, 2008, Jung Sung-ki reports a remark by Gen. Walter Sharp about North Korea still posing a threat to Northeast Asia. Sharp, commander of the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command(CFC), says that, as a shield against North Korean intrusion, the U.S. army would continue to support South Korea. Last year, the two nations agree that South Korean commanders take independent operational control which the U.S. army has had since the Korean war, beginning 2012. He says that North Korea is equipped for war with ballistic missiles. Therefore, the U.S. army will stay in South Korea to prevent North Korea's outbreak despite CFC's disorganization. He believes that South Korean military will keep the security as successfully as they have done.



[ The article chosen ]

'Threat in Northeast Asia Remains Real'
By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter

The top American military officer in South Korea said Friday that North Korea's forward deployed armed forces with nuclear and missile powers pose a threat to the security of South Korea and the region.

Gen. Walter Sharp, commander of the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC), said the United States would give firm support to South Korean forces in case of an emergency to deter any North Korean invasion, even after South Korea takes over operational control (OPCON) of its forces during wartime in 2012.

``The threat to security in Northeast Asia remains very real,'' Sharp, who concurrently serves as chief of the U.S. Forces Korea and the United Nations Command, said during a Seoul forum hosted by the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the CFC.

``North Korea still maintains the fourth largest military in the world. About 70 percent of which is forward deployed along the DMZ.

Sharp referred to North Korea's ballistic missiles and stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction as major threats.

``While it may have limitations, it still can cause enormous damage to ROK with little or no warning,'' he said, referring to the acronym of South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea.

Sharp expressed confidence that South Korean commanders would successfully execute independent wartime operational control with the U.S. military shifting to a supporting role under a new joint defense system.

The first responsibility of any nation is to provide the security of its people, he said, adding that the South Korean armed forces have a proud tradition of doing just that, in peacetime and war.

He said the time has come for the South Korean military to take the next step and assume the OPCON tasked to defend the country.

OPCON transition slated for April 17, 2012, will mark the evolution in the half-century Korea-U.S. military alliance, he said.

``The ROK Army is able to deploy beyond the Korean Peninsula, as evidence of its support in Iraq, and has proven itself as one of the world's best militaries,'' said the four-star general, who now has the authority of controlling both U.S. and Korean forces during wartime.

About 28,000 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea as a deterrent against the communist North.

Under the landmark accord on command rearrangement plans reached last year, South Korean field commanders will execute independent operational control of their troops during wartime, beginning April 17, 2012, with the U.S military shifting to a supporting role under the agreement. The two militaries will operate separate theater commands, while the CFC is to be deactivated.

South Korea handed over peacetime and wartime operational control to the U.S.-led United Nations Command at the outbreak of the 1950-53 Korean War. The command authority was transferred to the CFC in 1978. Seoul took over peacetime control in 1994.

gallantjung@koreatimes.co.kr



Chloe's comment :
It was hard to fit the summary in the right length. I chose the article which is to me a little difficult. I don't have much interest in military thing, so it was a kind of challenge for me. When it comes to the article, I have more to say. It's not easy to "truly" understand what the general meant by the remark. It must be something serious and complicated which those in that world only know well. What I most hate is war. I don't know much about military things happening in Korea, however I just want this peace to continue as long as possible. Sometimes I'm scared that Korea is still kind of in the war.