"New Criteria for OPCON Transfer" ... "If Goalposts Keep Moving, It Will Never Happen"

[Anchor]

General Xavier Brunson, commander of the United States Forces Korea (USFK), publicly stated that "conditions for the wartime operational control (OPCON) transfer have changed" and that "new criteria have emerged." His remarks imply that the conditions need to be reviewed due to North Korea's nuclear and missile development. South Korea's Ministry of National Defense spokesperson expressed strong dissatisfaction, noting it as a personal opinion and saying that if the "goalposts" keep being moved, the OPCON transfer will never be possible.

Choi Jae-yeong reports.

[Reporter]

At a forum held in Washington, D.C., USFK Commander Brunson said that the "conditions" for the transfer of wartime operational control have clearly changed.

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

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

While some differences remain between Seoul and Washington, and with the year 2028 set as the target timeframe for the OPCON transfer, Commander Brunson abruptly brought up "new criteria following changed conditions" in public, citing North Korea's nuclear and missile development, among other factors.

This effectively indicated that the assessment regarding the OPCON transfer could also shift as the security environment on the Korean Peninsula has changed.

Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul responded at the National Assembly today (October 15) as follows:

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

[Kang Shin-chul / Minister of National Defense: We have already conveyed our position on that matter, and we are also concerned about the overall impact and are expressing it 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 Ministry of National Defense voiced strong dissatisfaction under the premise of the "spokesperson's personal view."

[Jeong Bit-na / Spokesperson, Ministry of National Defense: If they keep moving the goalposts, I believe the OPCON transfer will never be achieved.]

A government official conveyed the atmosphere within the government to SBS, saying, "There is a perception that publicly making statements day after day that seem to deny the agreement is inappropriate."

For now, the government plans to continue political consultations with the U.S. on the OPCON transfer through multilateral summits and the ROK-U.S. Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) scheduled for the end of the year.

(Video by Kim Hyun-sang | Video Editing by Lee Seung-yeol | Graphics by Byun Da-young)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.