WEB DESK
South Korean President Moon Jae-in has reaffirmed the importance of the country’s alliance with the United States, as US forces relocated to a new headquarters south of the capital, Seoul.
Moon sent a message to a ceremony on Friday to mark the opening of the new headquarters for US Forces Korea at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek. The command was previously based in central Seoul.
Moon said the successful inter-Korean and US-North Korean summits, as well as the recent steps for complete denuclearization and permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula, were only made possible by the alliance’s strong pressure and its preparatory stance.
Experts say a declaration to end the Korean War and the signing of a peace treaty could lead to a reduction or a pullout of the US forces in South Korea.
But US Defense Secretary James Mattis gave assurances during a visit to Seoul on Thursday that there will be no change to US troop levels for now.
Camp Humphreys spans roughly 15 square kilometers and is one of the US military’s largest overseas bases. About 33,000 American troops and their families are expected to live inside the compound.