POLICY IMPLICATIONS OF THE UNITED STATES GROUND TROOP WITHDRAWAL ： A POLICY SCIENTIFIC ANALYSIS

The long debated question of the withdrawal of the United States ground troops from Korea has almost been finalized as of July 27 ， 1977. In his personal message to President Park Chung Hee of July 25，President Carter reconfirmed “the U.S. government position on [its] ground force withdrawal plans and fits] security commitment to the Republic of Korea.，，1 He further clarified that the U.S. “air force units, military intelligence and logistic support personnel will remain in Korea for the indefinite future” and that the United States would “continue naval deployments in the area.，，2 But no matter what kind of supplementary measures are taken, the elimination of the physical presence of the American ground forces will bring unfavorable impacts upon Korea both politically and militarily. What will be those impacts and what measures should be taken in preparation for such impacts?