Cutting the tripwire.

I think that Doug Bandow ("Cutting the Tripwire," July) makes many important points about the North Korean crisis. Surely we should have left Korean issues to South Korea and the rest of the Asian community a long time ago, but I am disappointed that Mr. Bandow did not address two important points:

First, while we should be out of South Korea, is this really a great time to be leaving? Leaving now could be an even greater mistake than Reagan's pullout from Lebanon. If we exit now it looks like we're running away because of nuclear blackmail--a position of weakness that will only encourage more rogue behavior by such unseemly states as North Korea.

Second, what about the dangers posed by the exportation of North Korea's nuclear weapons? You can argue all day about whether our past mistakes created this crisis in the first place. The fact is that North Korea has nukes, and it has shown that it is all too happy to export any military technology to get its hands on hard cash.

There is much that needs to be discussed about this issue, but I think that any article purporting to solve the Korean problem needs to mention these dangerous realities.

Alan Terbush Richmond, VA

Doug Bandow replies: Advocates of an American presence in Korea will never believe it is the right time to depart. The existing forces are not necessary to defend the South, will become nuclear hostages if the North develops a usable arsenal, deter Seoul from strengthening its own defense, encourage anti-Americanism in South Korea, and fuel the North's dangerous paranoia. The troops should come home.

There is much to be said about the nuclear issue, but that was not the thrust of this article. All regional parties need to be involved in developing a package of carrots and sticks regarding the North. Nuclear exports to terrorists are the most serious threat posed by Pyongyang's current course and should be dealt with accordingly. But America's conventional commitment is of no use in any case.