"New Standards for OPCON Transfer" ... "Moving the Goalposts Means It Will Never Happen"

[Anchor]

General Xavier Brunson, commander of the United States Forces Korea (USFK), stated that "conditions for the OPCON transfer have changed" and that "new standards have emerged." He suggested that the conditions need to be reexamined due to North Korea's nuclear and missile development. In response, South Korea's defense minister expressed "concern," while the Defense Ministry voiced strong dissatisfaction under the premise of a "personal opinion of the spokesperson."

Choi Jae-yeong reports.

[Reporter]

At a forum held in Washington, USFK Commander Brunson said that the "conditions" for the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) have definitely changed.

He stated that "new standards" that must be met have emerged.

South Korea and the United States agreed in 2014 on a "conditions-based" OPCON transfer, and the two sides are currently at the stage of validating the mission capabilities of the Future Combined Forces Command, which is to be led by a South Korean four-star general.

Although there are some differences of opinion between South Korea and the U.S., Commander Brunson abruptly and publicly brought up "new standards based on changed conditions" at a time when 2028 has been set as the target timeframe for the transfer. Commander Brunson cited North Korea's nuclear and missile development, among other factors, as reasons.

This effectively signaled that assessments regarding the OPCON transfer could also shift as the security situation on the Korean Peninsula changes.

Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul responded at the National Assembly as follows:

[Son Sol / Lawmaker, Progressive Party (yesterday) : Shouldn't we lodge a strong protest with the U.S. side?]

[Kang Shin-chul / Minister of National Defense (yesterday) : We have already conveyed our position on that matter, and we are also concerned about the overall impact it may have and are stating that clearly.]

He also emphasized, "Even if the transfer were to take place right now, there would be no problem at all."

Instead of issuing an official stance, the Defense Ministry expressed strong dissatisfaction under the premise of the "spokesperson's personal opinion."

[Jeong Bit-na / Defense Ministry Spokesperson (yesterday) : If they keep moving the goalposts, I believe the OPCON transfer can never be achieved.]

A government official conveyed the internal sentiment to SBS, saying, "There is a perception that it is inappropriate to publicly make statements day after day that appear to deny our agreement."

For now, the government plans to continue political consultations with the U.S. side regarding the OPCON transfer through the bilateral Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) between defense chiefs and multilateral summits scheduled for the end of the year.

(Video by Kim Hyeon-sang | Video Editing by Lee Seung-yeol | Design by Byun Da-young)

※