Quayle Vows to Fight Reduction of Troops in S. Korea

Vice President Dan Quayle, surprised to find even South Korea’s opposition agreed on the need for American troops here, said today that North Korea remained a threat and he would fight any effort to reduce the U.S. military presence.

Quayle, who came here with the message that Washington approved of Seoul’s democratic reforms, said he was assured by President Roh Tae Woo that South Korea “would not return to the old ways.”

On the first full day of a four-nation Asian tour, Quayle met Seoul’s political Establishment and top opposition figures, including several who were jailed under the military-backed government of this country’s recent past.

Although critics say human rights violations have recently increased and opposition leader Kim Dae Jung himself is under indictment, Quayle proclaimed that Roh had “ushered in democratic reforms.”

“Korea is an emerging democracy,” Quayle said.