The United States has proposed withdrawing 12,500 of its 37,000 troops stationed in South Korea by 2006, as part of worldwide moves to make the over-stretched US military more flexible.It is also part of an unprecedented period of change in the US-South Korean alliance, with the South Koreans taking more responsibility for their own defences in an increasingly anti-US atmosphere.
However, some analysts fear that North Korea will see the US troop reductions as a sign of weakness.
Do you agree with the US decision? What impact will this move have on the relationship between the US and South Korea, and between the two Koreas? Send us your views.
This debate is now closed. Read your comments below.
The following comments reflect the balance of opinion we have received so far.
I hope Koreans learn from US withdrawal from the Philippines. People of the Philippine wanted US Navy to leave and when they left and gone they begged US to come back without success. There are always liberal elements in the South Korea show placards and chanting their agendas but they most likely would be first ones to apply for visa to US when ugly communist ever attempts to invade S. Korea. The article should be balanced and show with the majority of Koreans appreciation for US support and appreciation for US allies defending South Korea from the perils of North Korean threats.
Hyun Jun Paik, Seattle, WA USE
It's more evidence that defending oil supplies is more important than defending democracies.
Marc Brett, Teddington, UK
I think people are getting carried away. There will still be 24,500 American troops left in Korea after this shuffling - the US is not leaving South Korea to defend itself. I'm sure many more could be flown in at a moment's notice.
Matt, San Francisco, USA
South Korea will always remain a puppet of the USA in the eyes of the North as long as there US troops stationed in the South. More direct talks between the two Koreas are needed and the only way this will happen is if the USA, China, Japan, and Russia stop meddling in the affairs of Koreans.
Jason K Lee, Toronto, Canada
I agree that the U.S. should reduce and eventually remove all its troops from South Korea. Korea is strong enough to defend itself and, in the event of an attack by North Korea, I feel sure that member nations of the U.N. would send troops to assist. Removing a foreign army from Korean soil is a step in the right direction towards peace. Despite the fear being spread by those who profit from the the U.S. presence in Korea, relations between North and South are getting better all the time. I live next to the border and I don't feel nervous at all.
Marcus Peddle, Inje, South Korea (38th Parallel)
Take all US troops out of South Korea, Germany, and all the other ungrateful countries that have forgotten who their true friends are/were. I'm just surprised that the Europeans have not tried to spin this in order to stir up more anti-American sentiment. The world should be careful what it asks for 'cause one day good old Uncle Sam will not answer your hypocritical cries for help. When do we finally get to cut off economic aid?
James, Washington DC
 |  It is time to leave South Korea, Germany and all other countries who don't want us  |
As a US taxpayer it is hard to swallow footing the bill for the defence of nations who with one hand demand our expensive military protection and the precious lives of our young, and with the other carry anti-American placards. We have been suckers for too long. It is time to leave South Korea, Germany and all other countries who don't want us. I know a few towns in the US that could use the economic boost.
J Wozny, Gilbert , Arizona, US
After spending a year in South Korea at Camp Casey, I would recommend that the US pull out all its troops and let the ungrateful South Koreans defend themselves. Same with Germany as well. Especially with people who forget the North invaded the South, and not the other way around.
Mark B, Boston, US
Sounds great - when can I leave?
Dave, Kunsan Air Base, South Korea
Yes, pull these troops out now!
Dale Clark, Albuquerque, NM, USA
I want to see us remove all of our troops from Europe and Asia, and immediately stop all foreign aid. We Americans are constantly being kicked for doing the right thing, so let these countries defend themselves and quit relying on American aid.
N Mead, USA
Absolutely. What business do we have to meddle in another nations' affairs?
Tom, Anchorage, USA
I can see that Americans are resentful and disappointed by the fact that South Koreans no longer like them nor are grateful/thankful towards them. But have we not repaid our debt to the US? South Korea sent tens of thousands of troops to Vietnam to support the US, and sent thousands of troops to other following conflicts in which the US was involved. Korea had strongly supported the US in virtually all its campaigns, including the current war in Iraq, and also plans to send 3,000 more troops. Is this not good enough? When will the debt ever be repaid?
E Kim, South Korean in London, UK My wife is Korean-American and I've always been against the huge number of troops there. I think it did little to diffuse the situation on the peninsula. It is time to pull all of our troops out of there and this is a good start.
Steve Beineke, Boise, Idaho USA
I have mixed feelings after having lived under the range of North Korean artillery from 1996-1999. On the one hand, South Korea needs to map its own route, independent of the US and Western powers. On the other hand, there is a real threat from Kim Jung Ill. After having left the scene for five years, I am now much more optimistic that the two Koreas can solve their own problems in the future.
James Willett, Aberdeen, Canada
Has the US forgotten about the weapons of mass destruction being developed next door?
Tom Kennedy, Montpellier, France
The US should not cut the size of its troops, but rather withdraw them all together. Koreans have the capacity to solve their own problems if left alone. The only people blocking that initiative are conservatives in America.
John Upindi, Windhoek, Namibia
We South Koreans should never forget the blood bled by young Americans during the Korean war. Here I would like to thank to all of them gain. But I hope my country can defend itself as a genuine independent country in the very near future. But of course, I cannot trust Kim Jung Ill and his regime.
BW IM, Korean living in Tokyo
I visited Panmunjom, the "truce village" in the buffer zone between the two Koreas, some months ago. It is a place frozen in time, with a display of forces on both sides that looks more like a show than anything else. In my opinion, the current situation between North and South Korea does not justify such an anachronistic stand-off; reducing the US military presence would contribute to easing the climate and helping the two countries deal with each other in a more constructive way. At the same time, I do agree that after 50 years it's time to sign a proper peace treaty!
Carlo Berruti, Milan, Italy
I fail to see how understretching would increase flexibility. The truth is that the Middle East now poses a greater threat and they need the troops to bolster forces for events taking place there. So goodbye Korea.
Des Currie, Umdloti, South Africa
We underestimate how serious the threat of North Korea is. I think the Americans should remain deeply involved in the South Korean security agenda. They should stay as long as North Korea exists.
Nelson Rotsaert, Belgium
Would it not be wise to replace the cease-fire with a genuine peace treaty before leaving?
JR Randolph, Portland, OR, USA
| Most definitely the right decision. But take it further and get all the troops out of there |
Most definitely the right decision. But take it further and get all the troops out of there, as well as Germany and the rest of Europe. It is time for the US military to stop being the security blanket for these ungrateful nations.
Dan, Pennsylvania, US The only legitimate function of our US military is to war on other countries that attack us. I don't remember when South or North Korea attacked us. Bring all troops home from everywhere. Let all other nations defend themselves.
Bill Fairchild, Plainfield, Illinois, USA
Yes, pulling the troops out of Korea - and Germany - is long overdue. I am a Korean War vet.
Frank Adams, Asheville, NC, USA
I was stationed with the United States Army in South Korea for 18 months, in 1965-66. I made many good friends there, both Korean and American. It seems to me that the Koreans no longer want us there. If that's the case, fine, let's get out. Let them deal with the North Korean menace on their own. The south has been an economic powerhouse for decades. It's time that they now step up to the plate and take complete responsibility for their nation's defence and security. Young Americans should no longer have to shoulder much of that burden.
Jim, Costa Mesa, Calif., USA
China will undoubtedly see the removal of troops in South Korea as an opportunity to make more trouble for Taiwan.
Casper, New York City, US
I always think it's funny when fellow Americans act like we went into Korea out of the goodness of our hearts. We went there because we decided it was in our interests to go, and we maintained bases there because we decided it was in our interests to stay. And the government wants to remove troops because they've decided it's now in our interests to send them somewhere else.
Amanda Reno, Minneapolis, US
I don't like it. No matter what you think of American foreign policy in other parts of the world, you must concede that North Korea is a genuine threat to world peace. I can understand some Koreans' reluctance to accept so many foreign troops on their soil, but those American soldiers, simply by being there, are preventing disaster.
Marko, St. Catharine's, Canada Be careful what you wish for South Korea!
Paul Roberson, Los Angeles, CA
Yes, withdraw all of our troops. They are just a speed bump when the North comes South. We can't defend them.
Ralph Larkin, Billerica, MA, US
The South Koreans are practicing appeasement with the North. If US troop movement helps their policy, as it will also help bolster US forces in Iraq, we should redeploy troops shortly.
Matt, Boston, US
| This is good news for anyone who wants peace on the Korean peninsula |
This is good news for anyone who wants peace on the Korean peninsula. For years, the North has been saying it wants a non-aggression pact with America. Barring a formal pact, a reduction in US troop levels achieves much the same thing; it will ease North Korean anxieties and create a climate where talks, withdrawals, and other small gestures can slowly bear fruit.
Thomas, Toronto, Canada The Americans, having shown themselves to be nothing better than international troublemakers with no respect for international law, should get out of everywhere. The world would be a better place without their misplaced meddling.
Lee Churchman, Canada
We have treated our stay since the 50s in South Korea pretty badly. I think the South Koreans will do well without us there. Perhaps in time, they will re-unite with North Korea. It's interesting that we will reduce our troops numbers but no base closings. I can't understand why we have a base in the middle of Seoul.
Jean, Raleigh, US
I think it is a good thing for the alliance. The South Koreans achieve a perceived political victory with a major US troop reduction, but privately can still feel comfortable that US firepower and aid is only a phone call away. The South Koreans are a proud people and have a very effective fighting force, they no longer need a paternalistic ally. We should act a partners, not guardians, in this alliance.
Michael McCarthy, Duxbury, Massachusetts, US
Remove all of the troops from South Korea. They can defend themselves. The same goes for Japan and Europe.
Richard, San Francisco, US
One person's peace gesture is another's weakness. North Korea will think what they want. South Korea has a formidable military. If North Korea attacked South Korea, don't think we won't be back there in a heartbeat.
Russ, US
The US has underwritten the defence budgets of countries all over the globe for far too long. Troops in Korea, Japan and Germany are needed elsewhere.
Gerald Joyce, Chicago, US
What worries me is the notion that the US is pulling out because it feels it is no longer welcomed in a country for which it sacrificed the lives of its soldiers to protect it from the communist aggression in the 1950-53 war. We South Koreans owe a debt of gratitude to the Americans that should never be forgotten. Furthermore, the current prevailing anti-US sentiment especially among the younger generation is misguided and misplaced. It is a blind nationalism that is short-sighted and irresponsible.
Byung Moon Cho, South Korean living in Surrey, UK
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