US Jets in Korea Could Train Elsewhere

It was revealed Donald Rumsfeld, U.S. Secretary of Defense, said in the 27th Korea-U.S. Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) held in Seoul last November that the U.S. Air Force in Korea (USAFK) should be moved to another region for training if Korea did not provide proper training conditions.

On May 29, the Ministry of National Defense confirmed that Rumsfeld made such a statement in urging Korea to provide drill fields as he was concerned about the possibility of pilots’ skills and morale lowered according to the reduced amount of training in Korea since the closing of Maehyang-ri Shooting Range last August.

“‘Another region’ means a region outside of the Korean Peninsula,” a source explained, “but it does not mean that the USAFK will move or withdraw its military base from Korea.”

The Ministry of National Defense is pursuing a way to increase the USAFK’s use of Pilseung Shooting Range in Taebaek, Gangwon Province, and Jikdo Shooting Range in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province.