“You Suck!” in Diplospeak

If you’re accustomed to the measured, soporific language that diplomats use, this interview with Richard Lawless will make you spit 815 cola all over your monitor. Money quotes, emphasis mine:

But now, with our two sides asking whether the garrison transfer would be 3.6 million pyeong or 3.3 million pyong, and this petty thing becoming contentious, we are extremely confused and disappointed. I’m frustrated that in our 50-year relationship of alliance, a difference of 300,000 pyeong can become contentious.

Translation–we’ve had it with Korea treating the U.S. military like an entitlement program. Grow up, stick to your agreements, and stop doing your negotiating through OhMyNews.

If an agreement on the USFK reorganization is not led in a desirable direction, I think the people who will lose in the end are the Korean people. This is because we will not be able to augment our deterrence in Korea. We have a number of good concepts and plans like the additional deployment of the newest Patriot PAC-3 missiles. If a desirable reorganization doesn’t come about, those good plans cannot be executed. Korea will miss an opportunity to improve its deterrent strength.

Translation–We’re not putting up with another 50 years of the kind of whining we had at Kun-Ni. It’s our military, and we can bring it home. Either give us sufficient space to help you defend your country or defend it yourself.

If an agreement on a U.S. military reorganization is delayed, there’s an even greater danger. This would be a loss of trust in the Korea-U.S. alliance on the part of both sides’ citizens, and mistrust in the ability to maintain the alliance. Korean people understand from the Korean media that it’s the U.S. that is delaying the Yongsan transfer agreement, and that the U.S. is asking for a huge amount of land. In fact, it’s the Korean government that asked for Combined Forces and UN commands to remain at Yongsan. Therefore, we said let’s stop arguing over the 110,000 pyeong of land in Yongsan. We said we’d move 100 percent of everything. If a USFK reorganization agreement cannot be reached, I worry that the alliance will lose the confidence and trust of both sides’ citizens.

Translation–the American people are losing whatever desire they had to support the defense of your country. Using anti-Americanism as a political and negotiating tool is costing you votes in Congress.

Read the whole thing, if you read only one article this month.