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Unmitigated Chutzpah: The South Korean government, which needs constant reassurance about the USFK’s monogamous dedication to Korea’s defense but unfailingly demands that U.S. taxpayers carry as much of the USFK’s cost as possible, is secretly cutting back its own military manpower. So much for the howls that the recent USFK withdrawal would create a window of vulnerability.

Where, then, are Seoul’s highest budget priorities? If you’re a regular reader, you probably need read no further, but . . . South Korea’s no-questions-asked aid to North Korea has just reached a record high–$156 million, if you count private donations. It would be interesting to know the government’s share of that amount stacks up against the cost savings (if any) from the corresponding manpower cuts. If the numbers are comparable, it suggests an unstated policy of unilateral disarmament and peace-as-you-pay.

Of course, not everything in the ROK Army is shrinking, as it turns out.