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Heritage Foundation: 'Seoul pays substantial resources for U.S. Forces Korea'

Heritage Foundation: 'Seoul pays substantial resources for U.S. Forces Korea'

Posted November. 18, 2016 07:17,   

Updated November. 18, 2016 07:24

한국어

Washington-based think tank Heritage Foundation, which is deeply involved in the transition team for the newly-elected U.S. President Donald Trump, said on Wednesday (local time) that South Korea provides "substantial resources" for the upkeep of U.S. forces stationed in the country.

"The South Korean government provides substantial resources to defray the costs of the U.S. Forces Korea. It provides some 900 million dollars (approx. 1.06 trillion Korean won) annually in either direct funding or in-kind support, covering cost-sharing for labor, logistics, and improvements in facilities," the think tank said in its "2017 Index of U.S. Military Strength" released on the day. Since this perspective shows stark contrast to that of the president-elect who had often called Seoul a defense free during his presidential campaign, it is likely that the report would bring about significant impact on his framework for Korea-U.S. alliance soon to be announced when he takes office.

The report also estimated North Korea's nuclear arsenal at eight weapons, imposing direct threat to Washington. The foundation, however, lowered the level of threats posed by Pyongyang one category from “severe” to “high.” In 2016, it classified North Korea as the only severe threat out of six major threats of Russia, Iran, Middle East terrorism, Afghanistan-Pakistan terrorism, China and North Korea.

It also pointed out that while Pyongyang has a fewer number of nuclear weapons and its missile capabilities seems to be marginal, the country is less stable and unpredictable. "North Korea warrants sustained attention. It has reportedly developed a nuclear-capable ballistic missile with sufficient range to reach the United States and continues to invest heavily in developing a submarine-launched ballistic missile, an effort that has generated heightened concerns among U.S. allies in the region," it said. According to the report, Pyongyang has deployed approximately 800 Scud short-range tactical ballistic missiles (effective range of 300-500 kilometers), 300 Rodong medium-range missiles (1,300 kilometers), and 50 Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missiles (longer than 3,000 kilometers), and continues its development of the Taepo-dong series of ICBMs and the KN-08, which have a range sufficient to hit the U.S. mainland.



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