A South Korean official said Tuesday the United States has asked South Korea to build by 2008 facilities for the U.S. army division in South Korea to be relocated away from the border with North Korea.

The relocation of the 2nd U.S. Infantry Division is a key part of troop realignment programs Washington is pushing worldwide.

U.S. officials have indicated that the realignment could result in a reduction of 37,000 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea.

South Korea has agreed to the proposed troop realignment but has yet to agree on the exact timetable.

The realignment has raised concern among South Koreans, because the frontline U.S. troops have long served as a "trip wire" against the North, guaranteeing immediate and automatic U.S. involvement in the event of war on the peninsula.