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US Armed Forces stationed in Korea officially transferred their headquarters Friday to the largest US military base overseas.
Named Camp Humphreys, the $ 10.8 billion base covers about nine square miles and is located 45 miles south of the former headquarters in Seoul. The US Army first established in the South Korean capital at the end of World War II. Its headquarters have been in Seoul for 73 years.
As tensions subsided with North Korea on the eve of Singapore's historic summit between Pyongyang's Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump on June 12, military headquarters out of range of the guns of Artillery targeting the Seoul metropolitan area. North Korea's newest weapons, including the 300-millimeter weapons that she exhibited in 2015, could still reach Camp Humphreys's base, South China Morning Post .
U.S. General Vincent Brooks said that South Korea has put in place the necessary funds to finance 90% of the military base, which took about ten years.
"The investment of the Republic of Korea accounted for more than 90% of the cost" according to Reuters. "For this 90%, the United States stays with you 100%."
At an opening ceremony, South Korean Minister Song Young-moo praised the work of the US military to bring peace to the Korean peninsula. Song also highlighted the changing situation on the peninsula, with North Korea seeming open to dialogue to resolve long-standing tensions.
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"The Korean Peninsula The Korea Times reported:" North Korea's nuclear weapons should be permanently abandoned and two Koreas will open a new era of exchange and cooperation All achievements are the result of the Seoul-Washington alliance. "
On Thursday, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis reassured Seoul that the United States will maintain its "present" military presence in the country as part of a "foolproof" commitment. The United States has about 28,500 soldiers in South Korea.
The US Army's reinsurance measures come after Trump's decision, after his historic summit with Kim, to cancel the war games with South Korea. Before the summit, The New York Times also reported in early May that Trump had asked the Pentagon to consider cutting US troops into the Korean peninsula, but the security advisor national John Bolton quickly denied this information. For its part, Seoul has publicly supported the decision to suspend the war games. "We believe that the ongoing denuclearization negotiations with North Korea are crucial, and as long as these negotiations continue, the decision of the governments of South Korea and the United States will be maintained," said this month. spokesman of the South Korean Government
South Korean President Moon Jae-in was a strong supporter of dialogue, and he took the diplomatic path to peace with the neighbor of his country. At the Singapore Summit, Kim is committed to fully engage in the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. However, experts and satellite images have raised questions as to whether Pyongyang will actually honor the promise.
Nevertheless, Moon expressed strong support for Washington's efforts on the peninsula and the role of the US military in the conflict. "The solid Seoul-Washington alliance played a crucial role as a powerful deterrent to the war on the peninsula, helping the two countries to hold summits with North Korea," according to Moon The Korea Times . 19659020]
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Tags base forces headquarters Korea largest military move overseas