The United States may further reduce the size of its troops in South Korea to less than 25,000 in the future, the daily Korean Herald quoted an U.S. official as saying on Wednesday.

"As the adjustments take place, there will be reduction in the number of U.S. forces located in South Korea beyond the level of 25,000 that we currently agreed," an unnamed senior U.S. defense official told the newspaper.

According to an agreement between Washington and Seoul, the U.S. troops stationing in South Korea would be reduced from the present 30,000 to 25,000 by 2008.

The cuts would be in headquarters staff and other support personnel, said an unnamed senior U.S. defense official.

However, there is no current plan to further reduce combat troops, and that future adjustments to the U.S. military presence will lead to more , not less , combat capability, the official added.

The U.S. official also said that Washington wants to return the wartime operation control and command to the South Korean side earlier than Seoul proposed.

South Korean government looks forward to taking back control of the wartime control after 2011, but the United States says it would be transferred in 2009.

Source: Xinhua