U.S. troop presence to fall below 30,000

? By the end of this year the number of U.S. troops in South Korea will drop below 30,000, a milestone in a shift of responsibility for defending the country from communist North Korea, the top U.S. commander here said Thursday.

Gen. Leon J. LaPorte, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, said in an interview with American reporters that the South Korean government is eager to bear more of the burden of defending itself.

“It is natural for a country, as it develops capabilities, to want to become more predominant in their own national security,” LaPorte said on the eve of a key U.S.-South Korean defense meeting.

“So this is a natural evolution. We have supported the Republic of Korea for 50 years. They have the 12th largest economy in the world. So it’s natural for them to say, ‘Listen, we appreciate the support we received; we are now capable of doing more things and taking a more predominant role.'”

Substantial numbers of American troops have remained in South Korea since the Korean War ended in a cease fire. In recent years they have handed to the South Korean military more of the key missions designed to deter the North from invading and for preparing defenses in the event that deterrence failed.

By the end of this year, LaPorte said, 8,000 of the 12,500 troops designated for withdrawal will have left South Korea. That will drop the total number to slightly below 30,000. The rest of the reductions are to be completed by 2008.