i i 3 ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE 2030 INTERNATIONAL 2 1- SECURITYAFFAIRB in reply refer to 1 22236 79 MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE SUBJECT Korean Troop Withdrawals -- ACTION MEMORANDUM At the Friday Foreign Policy breakfast you should Seek authorization to foreshadow-rat least in general terms- further adjustments in the troop withdrawal plan in order to elicit a positive ROKG attitude t0 ward expanding its own defense efforts ' For that punaose the following talking points may be useful I will arrive in Seoul on June 27th and meetiuith Minister Ro on the 28th That meeting will provide an opportunity to prepare the Koreans for your approach to them concerning the necessity of increas ing their defense budget and reordering their spending priorities to emphasize improvement in groUnd forces capabilities with the Minister I intend to Share the general conClusions of our recent North Korean and its implications for the military balance on the peninsula Emphasize the need to rectify that imbalance through a somewhat larger ROK defense budget and reprioritizing of its expenditures In that context raise questions about the prudence of moving forward quickly on pending arms transfer re- quests until we can jointly reconsider deferme priorities -- Aircraft coassembiy Reiterate on F-l6 coproduction but indicate a more fortfu oming attitude toward F-S or - F-16 sale Reaffirm willingness to sell but ask R0 to consider timing carefully in light c f other re- quirements - i 3 a i Ll'ti l 05 Sec Def Cont NI 12 3 if c- -- Submarine acquisitionc Suggest delays Missile development Relate future cooperation to their coming clean on their activities with Brits iceo the Ferranti casec - Foreshadow several low-cost U S actions to improve our ground and air force presence- e 9 early deployment of s etc- emphasi2ing that details could be discussed at the next SCH meeting in Seoul in October - I would expect a sympathetic hearing from Re regarding in-creased ROK defense expenditureso But the receptivity in the Blue House to these suggestions not to mention our proposals for diplomatic initiatives e will depend on our willingness to alter the troop withdrawal plan It would be helpful in setting the tone for the President' 5 meetings with Park if I can foreshadow--on a close hold basis- the prospect for a significant adjustment in the withdrawals without of course discussing the nature of these adjustmentsa it In discussing the troop withdrawal options at the breakfast it will be essential to underscore for the President the linkage between major ad- justments in the withdrawal plan and ROKG willingness to follow-through on the trilateral diplomatic initiative and expand its defense effort On the former issue Park has now agreed to include in the communique a joint call for a trilateral meeting between senior representatives of the ROK DPRK and He has attached these conditions -- No bilateral preparatory talks No Paris Peace Talks approach secret side discussions with the North -- The President at least disclose to Park in private the direction of his thinking on the troop with- drawal decision -- Public announcement of our decision on withdrawals by mid-July Reaffirmation of the security commitment by the President at every public opportunity during his visit In addition Ambassador Kim indicated that the ROKG does not wish to have the North informed in advance of the trilateral talks pro- posalo DOS 5' use 0 06v Pom 5 15 a a o 1 55sz We know that Ambassador Kim misre or e ment last week that the President would indicate h s infeni further withdrawalse Whether this was willful misrepreSentation or careless reporting i don't knowc State has taken the precautio of clarifying to Kim that the President has made no decision yet Nonethe less Park's decision to go ahead on the diplo atic initiative may have been based on the expectation of such a dramatic chance if the Presid doesn t show his hand while in Seoul at least to FarE--ali bets are of' on the trilateral talks idea i i rig u am 92ng David E Assistant Secretary 02' Defense lntematianei Security Affairs 5 57 0930 DECLASSIFIED BY 95 10kg 3 593 0 DECLASSIFIED                     National Security Archive    Suite 701  Gelman Library  The George Washington University    2130 H Street  NW  Washington  D C  20037    Phone  202 994‐7000  Fax  202 994‐7005  nsarchiv@gwu edu