South Korea's defense chief has expressed opposition to any expansion of the country's Navy operations outside the Korean Peninsula, a move he believed could cause security instability in the region, a local newspaper said Monday.

In an interview with the English-language Korea Herald, South Korean Defense Minister Yoon Kwang-ung said he agreed on the need to upgrade naval capabilities to protect national interests in possible future sovereignty disputes, safeguard maritime resources and transportation routes and contribute to international security.

"But it's too early to expand our naval projection to oceanic areas. It may raise neighboring countries' suspicion of our intentions and ignite unnecessary competition for an arms build-up among regional members," Yoon said.

"In that sense, I am against the idea of building an 'ocean- going' Navy though I acknowledge that we need to consider it in the long-term," he said.

Some Navy officials and security experts have long argued for the need to broaden the naval forces' operations to distant oceans, the paper said.

Yoon's comments came after his country and the United States issued a joint statement last Thursday at the end of their first ministerial-level strategic consultation meeting.

In the statement, South Korea expressed its respect on the necessity for "strategic flexibility" of U.S. troops stationed in South Korea. At the same time, the U.S. side promised to respect Seoul's position that it shall not be involved in regional conflicts in Northeast Asia against the will of the South Korean people.

In the interview, the South Korean defense minister reiterated his government stance over the U.S. troops' "strategic flexibility, " saying his government will oppose the U.S. strategy if it drags South Korea into an unwanted regional conflict.

The U.S. currently stations 30,000 troops in South Korea, but it plans to reduces its troops to 25,000 by 2008 under its global strategy plan.

Source: Xinhua