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Chopper Downed: US Out of North Korea

By VVAW

The headlines screamed, "North Korea Shoots Down US Helicopter; Hint 3 Die." Another "incident" was underway in Korea. Only this time it was over quick and the one survivor was released. The US received him with its tail between its legs. Gone were the bellicose statements and the overreactive alerts ordered by the President. In its place was a ceremony with UN troops carrying the coffins of the dead and reports that the survivor suffered leg lacerations and a slightly swelled forehead.

The US helicopter invaded North Korean territory after it received warning shots form 3 South Korean lookout posts and flew over white markers along the DMZ warning that it was approaching the boundary line. It was shot down by North Korean troops and according to the survivor if the others had not tried to escape they wouldn?t have been shot and killed.

The Pentagon said that the Koreans had the right to shoot it down and Carter soft-pedaled the entire incident. Why the change from the days of the Pueblo of the tree-cutting incident of last year? At those times, troops were alerted in their thousands and the air force was sitting on their bomb buttons. Has Carter gone soft? Has the Pentagon weakened? The answer is absolutely not.

Recently the US announced plans to withdraw 33,000 American troops from Korea. Critics said that South Korea would be invaded and it would weaken the US defense system in the Pacific.

But in this period with the US weakened internationally as a result of the Indochina War and the increasing economic crisis, the ruling class is rethinking its position and sees that more attention must be paid to Europe with its vast wealth, rather than the Pacific. By withdrawing troops from Korea the administration believes it can do so successfully without losing South Korea. After all, there has been no withdrawal plans for the Air Force unites either from Korea or nearby Japan and Okinawa. The ruling class believes that these defenses plus the puppet South Korean troops can do the job. By not overreacting to an unwanted incident Carter served his class well.

As far as North Korea invading South Korea, this is a lot of hogwash. Korea has always been one country and the DMZ was set up by the US, fearing its loss of that area of the world. It was part of the strategy of the time to ring the Pacific with ground troops to protect US business interests.

For its part the North Koreans were correct in protecting its territory from another US incursion. According to radio reports monitored in Japan, CWO Glenn Schwanke promised not to intrude into North Korean territory again and apologized for the incident. He told reporters that he was treated well and given good medical attention--a far cry from the stories of being brainwashed fabricated by the Pueblo crew.

The North Korean government has long put forward a reasonable plan for reunification of the country, but up to now the US has sabotaged it by trying to created world opinion against the Korean government, like its provocations last year when US troops insisted on cutting down a tree on the North Korean side. But it backfired even as it did here. Even one of the mothers of the victims killed after the tree cutting said, "Why are US troops in Korea anyway?"

In a statement made during negotiations for the release of the bodies and the survivor a North Korean spokesman said, "In consideration of the fact that your side has admitted its military helicopter intruded into our area and regretted that, and regarding that appropriate measures will be taken to prevent any recurrence I declare we are ready to deliver the survivor and bodies to your side proceeding from our humanitarian stand."

While this incident is over there will be no assurance that the US will not again invade North Korean territory until all troops, including the Air Force, are withdrawn and Korea is reunited into one country.