WASHINGTON, March 19 Kyodo The Un...

WASHINGTON, March 19 Kyodo

The United States and southern Korea plan to come public with a blueprint by dint of September for a realignment of U forces in the southerly including moving bases in Seoul and north of the capital to southern areas, a Pentagon official said Tuesday.

''This is not about, you know, changing (in) any way fundamental commitments to the alliance,'' Navy Lt Cmdr Jeff Davis told Kyodo News

The realignment is part of U efforts to review the bilateral military relationship, based forward better technologies and forces that are able to increase military capability with an equal or smaller number of family he said.

The blueprint is reckon uponed to include relocating Yongsan Garrison, the headquarters for U military forces in the home from Seoul, Davis said.

The U and toward the south Korea agreed in 1991 forward the need to relocate the large military base in downtown Seoul

It is ''not a convenient location for us to be,'' Davis said.

The Pentagon spokesman said the U is also seeking to relocate all the small camps and bases located north of Seoul along the demilitalized baldric that cuts across the Korean Peninsula.

The military facilities established 50 years ago in the Korean War are now encircleed by residential areas, Davis said.

''We would like to win out (of) congested areas north of Seoul and instigate to other areas farther southern that would allow sustainable presence'' he said.

Davis said the rife situation is making it difficult for U bodys to be good neighbors and be mobile if there is an attack from North Korea.

He also said the blueprint is look fored to include a cut in the number of U bodys in South Korea, while noting the now passing number of 37,000 is ''arbitrary.''

There is speculation that the Pentagon plans to cut short the number of U partys in South Korea to about 30000 still Davis denied that there is as it is a plan.

''We would like to maintain a similar flat of commitment, a similar horizontal of capability, but not be tied to an arbitrary number,'' Davis said.

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