US Pressured South Korea for Support During Gulf War

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo In-ho] On the 29th, a diplomatic document revealing the atmosphere of the United States pressuring South Korea to support the war ahead of the 1990 Gulf War was disclosed.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs released 2,090 diplomatic documents (equivalent to 330,000 pages) along with original text summaries to the public on the 29th, detailing the situation at that time.

According to this summary, it appears in the records of conversations between Ban Ki-moon, then Director-General of the Americas Bureau at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who visited the United States from December 17 to 19, 1990, one month before the U.S.-led multinational forces launched Operation Desert Storm targeting Iraq, and U.S. officials.

At a meeting with Director Ban, Carl Ford, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asia and Pacific Affairs, raised the issue of dispatching South Korean military medical personnel to the Saudi side, urging, "The Korean side should continue to check progress with the Saudi side and push forward more actively."

Deputy Assistant Secretary Ford particularly emphasized that once the first U.S. military casualty occurs, American public opinion will take an interest in the support from allied countries, stating, "The actions our friends take when we are in trouble will be remembered for a long time."

Richard Solomon, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, said, "American public opinion may raise questions about how South Korea, which received help from the U.S. during the Korean War, is supporting the United States," adding, "I believe that the GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) issue and the Gulf crisis could act as factors complicating Korea-U.S. relations."

In response, Director Ban explained that the dispatch of the military medical team was delayed because the consultation counterpart changed from the U.S. to Saudi Arabia. He emphasized repeatedly that the government secured the promised $50 million for multinational force support through an additional supplementary budget in November and plans to pay the U.S. soon, stating, "We are providing maximum support within our capabilities."

U.S. officials positively evaluated the South Korean government's selection of the U.S. P-3C over France in the bid for the Korean Navy's anti-submarine patrol aircraft just before Director Ban's visit to the U.S.

Douglas Paal, National Security Council (NSC) Asia Director, said, "Until a month ago, we had the impression that South Korea was somewhat neglecting its relationship with the U.S. and support for resolving the Persian Gulf crisis, focusing instead on relations with the Soviet Union and China," adding, "The Korean government's decision to purchase the P-3C anti-submarine patrol aircraft has alleviated our concerns."

Director Ban explained, "Our government is actively pursuing improved relations with the Soviet Union and China to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula and establish a peace structure, but this is a normal, sound bilateral relationship between sovereign states," and added, "We are not seeking to develop a partnership with the Soviet Union at the regional or global level."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.