The United States will cut one-third of its troops in South Korea in several phases by 2008, three years behind its original schedule, the South Korean Defense Ministry announced on Wednesday afternoon.

The two allies clinched the agreement on the reduction of 12,500 troops of the total 37,500 US Forces Korea (USFK) after several rounds of consultations, said the Defense Ministry in a statement.

As a first step, the United States will withdraw 5,000 troops from South Korea by December this year, including the 3,600 troops who were already transferred to Iraq this summer.

The remaining 7,500 US troops will be withdrawn from the peninsula on two separate occasions in 2006 and 2008, according tothe statement.

The USFK military will retain its two Multiple Launch Rocket System batteries and most of its Apache units along the tense inter-Korean border at the request of South Korea who feared the pullout of such equipment will undermine the US and South Korean military's deterrent power.

The allies had previously said they would finalize the US troopcut plan when their defense chiefs hold annual talks, dubbed the Security Consultative Meeting, on Oct. 22.

The United States has said its troop reduction will not weaken its deterrent power, citing its 11 billion-US dollar program to equip its troops in South Korea with new sophisticated weapons over the next few years.

The South Korean government also pushed the plan to build up its self-defense capability based on Washington-Seoul alliance in the next 10 years.

Source: Xinhua