Would it be our turn next?

Republic of Korea was founded as a sovereign nation on August 15, 1948 after the sudden liberation from the Japanese 36-year-long colonial rule owing to the America’s A-bomb dropping on the two cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan in 1945.

Nevertheless, right after the liberation, Korean people failed to form a united nation mainly due to the ideology differences that was heavily influenced by then the two super powers, the United States and the U.S.S.R.

Besides, South Korea had to overcome the 3- year-long fratricidal conflict caused by North Korea’s surprising attack launched at dawn of June 25, 1950, that resulted in an immeasurable loss of casualties from ROK troops and the US men and women in uniform and including other 15 UN member countries’ soldiers.

Therefore, we South Koreans have never forgotten such a supreme sacrifice made especially by our strong ally, the United States of America. Needless to mention, had it not been for the military and economic assistance provided by the United States during our difficult times, we would have not been possible to achieve the prosperity that we are enjoying today.

In the meantime, very recently, a lot of world people are shocked by US President Donald Trump’s precipitous decision to withdraw US troops from northern Syria where Kurdish fighters have fought alongside the US forces against the Islamic State. President Trump’s sudden decision to pull out US troops not only drew sharp criticism from the America’s longtime allies in the Middle East and Europe but also the Kurds even accused the United States of turning its back on them.

Furthermore, news media report that Turkish President Recept Tayyip Erdogan has threatened for months to launch a military operation across the Syrian border as he has viewed the Kurdish forces as a threat to his country, which could lead to a massacre of the Kurds in absence of US troops in the region.

President Trump was quoted to have said in his tweets” It is time for us to get out of these ridiculous endless wars”. He added “ We will fight where it is to our benefit, and only fight to win.”

President Trump’s inflexible determination mentioned as above has caused grave concern to the majority of citizens living in South Korea where the United States has maintained sizable troops for more than seventy years.

The reason why we South Koreans are paying much attention to the chaotic situation developing in northern Syria is because we guess that  President Donald Trump must have been sick and tired of the inconclusive denuclearization talks with North Korea, and what is more, because it is palpable that the traditionally strong alliance between Seoul and Washington has become somewhat estranged in various aspects in these days.

It is our firm understanding that the US troop’s presence in South Korea has played key role, as a linchpin, in deterring North Korea’s miscalculated provocations and containing the two communist giants, Russia and China in the Far East since the Armistice Agreement was signed in 1953.

This being so, we South Koreans would like to believe that America’s situational awareness especially on Korean peninsula is in different criteria comparing to that of northern Syria.

For this reason, in any event, the freedom loving citizens of Republic of Korea hope that our apprehension for our country’s security will prove unnecessary sooner or later.

다음은 우리차례일까?

대한민국은 미합중국이 1945년 일본 히로시마와 나가사끼에 원자폭탄을 투하 함으로서 36년간의 식민통치에서 해방되어 1948년 8월15일 합법적 주권국가로 탄생하였습니다.

해방이 되었음에도 불구하고 한국사람들은 당시 미국과 소련의 영향에 의한 이념갈등 때문에 단일국가설립에 실패하였습니다.

그 밖에도 대한민국은 1950년 6월25일 새벽에 시작된 북한의 기습 남침으로 인한 3년간의 동족상잔을 감내해야 했습니다. 이 전쟁으로 말미암아 한국은 물론 미국 등 유엔참전국 들로부터 엄청난 인명피해를 당하게 했습니다.

그렇기 때문에 우리 한국 국민들은 그들의 고귀한 희생 특히 우리의 맹방 미국의 숭고한 희생을 오래도록 잊지 않고 있는 것입니다. 재론의 여지없이 그 어려웠던 시절에 맹방 미국으로부터의 군사적 경제적 지원이 없었던들 오늘날 우리가 누리는 부를 이루기란 도저히 불가 했을 것입니다.

그런데 최근에 미국 트럼프대통령이 북 시리아지방에 주둔중인 미군병력을 철수하겠다는 성명을 갑작스럽게 발표 함으로서 많은 세계인들과 중동과 유럽의 동맹국들이 큰 충격을 받고 있을 뿐만 아니라 그간 미국의 지원으로 함께 아이시스 퇴출전투에 참여해온 쿠루드 족 전사들은 미국을 배신자라고까지 말하고 있는 실정입니다.

한발 더 나아가 에르도안 터키 대통령은 수개월전부터 쿠르드 족 반군들이 터키에 큰 위협이라고 생각하고 시리아 국경 지역에 대한 대대적인 공격을 감행할 것이라고 말해오고 있습니다. 터키의 공격은 미군철수 후에 쿠루드 족의 대량학살로 이어질 가는 성이 큰 것입니다.

트럼프대통령은 그의 트위트를 통하여 다음과 같이 말한 것으로 보도되었습니다. “ 이제 미국은 밑 빠진 독 같은 지루한 전쟁으로부터 벗어날 때가 되었습니다.” 우리는 미국의 이익을 위해서 만 참전 할 것이고 또 승리를 확신 하는 전쟁만 할 것입니다.”

위와 같은 미국대통령의 단호한 결정의 변은 미군이 상당수 주둔하고 있는 대한민국의 대다수 국민들에게는 지대한 걱정거리로 다가옵니다.

우리 대한민국 국민들이 최근에 발생하고 있는 북 시리아지역 사태에 큰 관심을 보이는 이유는 바로 우리가 추측하기에 트럼프 미국 대통령은 아마도 질질 끌고 있는 북한과의 비핵화 협상 때문에 무척 식상해 있을 것이라는 우려 때문이고 또 다른 이유는 최근 들어 전통적으로 확고했던 한미관계가 여러 면에서 많이 소원해졌다는 사실이 명백하기 때문입니다.

한국 국민들은 대한민국에서의 미군의 주둔은 그 동안 1953년 정전협정조인 이래 대한민국 안보의 핵심으로서 한반도에서의 북한의 오판으로 인한 도발을 저지하고 극동지역에서의 두 공산집단인 러시아와 중국을 견제하는데 절대적인 역할을 해왔다고 믿고 있습니다.

바로 그렇기 때문에 우리 대한민국 국민들은 미국의 한반도에 대한 상황인식의 기준은 북 시리아 지역에 대한 인식과 판이하게 다르다고 믿고 싶은 것입니다.

Kurdish people being ecacuated.(소개되고있는 쿠루드족)

US troops leaving northern Syria(북 시리아지역에서 철 수하는 미군병력)