Richardson, from The Korea Liberator, has written what could be considered 　　　the best op/ed about Korea, Regional Security and USFK over at the Asia Times:

For American policymakers, the notion that a withdrawal is a deserved payback for the rampant anti-Americanism in South Korea, or that the few billion we spend on defense there is a catastrophic waste, need to be discarded. The potential cost of a war would be far greater in both American lives and in dollars, the benefits of continued peace immeasurable.

Vastly reducing or withdrawing USFK can only harm US security, it cannot help it. USFK has helped maintain peace and allowed the US to project influence in the region for the past six decades; removing that presence would be foolish and difficult to replicate once done. It is also important to keep in mind that the next presidential election will likely result in a less anti-American administration.

South Korean policymakers and citizens alike need to come to terms with the fact that Korea will probably never be a powerful nation, but because of its location it will always be important in the geopolitical sense. Because of this, Korea can never take the middle ground or play a "balancing" role; Korea must choose sides.