US FORCES TO STAY DESPITE DEAL: S. KOREA

Seoul, May 2: South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday dismissed claims that US troops stationed in the country would have to leave if a peace treaty was signed with the North.

Seoul and Pyongyang have remained technically at war since the 1950s but Moon and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un agreed at a landmark summit last week to work towards a permanent treaty to replace a 65-year-old armistice agreement.

“US Forces Korea (USFK) is a matter of the South Korea-US alliance. It has nothing to do with signing a peace treaty,” Mr Moon said, referring to the agreement that sees 28,500 US forces based in the South.

Mr Moon’s comments came after a presidential adviser publicly suggested the presence of US soldiers, sailors and airmen would be called into question if a peace treaty were to be agreed with Pyongyang.

Moon Chung-in had written in Foreign Affairs magazine that it would be “difficult to justify (US forces) continuing presence in South Korea” after the adoption of a peace treaty.

The Blue House -President Moon's office - has warned the adviser “not to cause any more confusion,” with such comments, spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom said.

The rebuttal came as Seoul’s defence ministry confirmed that several US fighter jets had arrived in the country to take part in a regular joint exercises.

The F-22 “Raptor” stealth fighters last came to the South in December when Seoul and Washington staged their largest-ever joint air exercise.