WORLD> Asia-Pacific
US forces prepared to 'fight' on Korean peninsula
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-04-22 13:47

SEOUL -- The US Forces in South Korea are fully prepared for any contingency on the Korean Peninsula, the US commander said Wednesday.

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The US Forces in South Korea are prepared to "fight and win," as they already "have operational plans prepared in order to be able to meet any contingencies," said Gen. Walter Sharp, commander of the US Forces in South Korea, at an address at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, warning that Seoul, about 50 km away from the inter-Korean border, bears a geographical risk to a sudden attack from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) .

He also emphasized the close ties between United States and South Korean forces would be continued even after the wartime operational control of South Korean troops is transferred to South Korea in 2012.

Tensions on the peninsula have been worsening over the past few weeks as the DPRK warned to take stern countermeasures if South Korea fully participates into the US-led Proliferation Security Initiative.