A new war plan calls for American and South Korean troops to overrun North Korea if attacked, the Far Eastern Economic Review reports in its December 3 edition.....

Existing plans envision only that allied forces will stop North Korean intruders and push them back across the demilitarized zone that divides the two Koreas.

The new blueprint has been drafted over several months by the Combined Forces Command in South Korea and the United States, the REVIEW says. Though the plan's existence was first revealed at a low-key press briefing in South Korea, it wasn't reported by other media. Richard Halloran, a contributor to the REVIEW on defence matters, subsequently obtained additional details from U.S. officials in Seoul, Washington and Hawaii, headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Command.

Under the plan, American and South Korean troops would not only repel an attack but would also then drive the invaders back into North Korea, capture Pyongyang, demolish its army and destroy the regime of Kim Jong Il. North Korea would then be "reorganized" under South Korean control, a U.S. official said.

The aggressive new strategy, which must be ratified by the respective U.S. and South Korean joint chiefs of staff before taking effect, reflects planners' belief that North Korea's army today is weaker and could be more easily defeated than a few years ago, the REVIEW says. Among details the REVIEW reveals are:

* South Korean forces would bear the brunt of the assault on the ground.

* The U.S. would provide the balance of air and naval power.

* Invasion scenarios include possible amphibious assaults by U.S. Marines, who would land on opposite sides of North Korea to cut the country in two.

The magazine adds that the disclosure of the new strategy, at a time of rising tensions between Washington and Pyongyang, may be aimed at deterring North Korea's embattled regime from attacking the South.

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[The Far Eastern Economic Review is Asia's premier business newsweekly. It is wholly owned by Dow Jones & Company, which publishes the world's most vital business and financial news and information. For further information please contact: Georgette Tan or Jane Scholes Dow Jones & Company Tel 852 2508 4364]

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