U.S. troops may remain in South Korea

SEOUL, Oct. 26 (UPI) -- South Korean officials said Friday the United States should maintain its troops on the peninsula after negotiations between the two Koreas yield a peace deal.

“The U.S. forces in Korea will maintain their presence on the Korean Peninsula even after a peace agreement is signed and continue to carry out a role that would serve the changed security needs in Northeast Asia,” South Korea’s foreign minister Song Min-soon said Friday.

The United States has around 30,000 troops stationed in South Korea to monitor a cease-fire in the Korean War.

The two Koreas agreed in early October to start negotiations to formally end the Korean War.

Song said implementation of the peace agreement hinges on North Korean denuclearization, but noted that the process “is already moving forward,” the Yonhap news agency reports.

The multi-lateral nuclear agreement with North Korea links international aid to a step-by-step process of dismantling five nuclear facilities in North Korea.

The top U.S. envoy to South Korea, Alexander Vershbow, said peace negotiations involving the two Koreas could not proceed until North Korea met its international obligations regarding denuclearization.

“For peace regime discussions to move forward, the U.S. needs to be sure the denuclearization process will move beyond phase two,” Vershbow said.