"South Korea Begins at Southern Fence" ... "Cannot Agree"

[Anchor]

In response to remarks by the commander of the U.S. Forces Korea that the Republic of Korea begins at the southern fence of the Demilitarized Zone, South Korea's Army Chief of Staff firmly stated that he cannot agree. Amid this, President Lee Jae-myung announced that consultations between South Korea and the United States are underway toward the return of wartime operational control.

Choi Jae-yeong reports.

[Reporter]

General Xavier Brunson, commander of the U.S. Forces Korea, who concurrently serves as commander of the United Nations Command.

On October 14, at a seminar held in Washington, D.C., he stated, "From the perspective of the UN Command, the Republic of Korea begins at the southern fence."

Criticism was raised that this remark could be interpreted as excluding the Demilitarized Zone, which spans about 2 kilometers north of the fence, from South Korean territory, thereby constituting a "statement infringing on territorial sovereignty."

Furthermore, critics pointed out that it contradicts the Constitution, which defines the Korean Peninsula and its adjacent islands as the territory of the Republic of Korea.

The remark also came under scrutiny today (October 19) during the parliamentary audit of Army Headquarters.

[Hwang Myeong-seon / Democratic Party Lawmaker: (Our citizens) are currently living in Daeseong-dong Village inside the Demilitarized Zone. Aren't they citizens of the Republic of Korea? According to Commander Brunson's logic, they are not our citizens.]

Army Chief of Staff Kim Gyu-ha made it clear that he could not agree with Commander Brunson's remark.

[Min Hong-chul / Democratic Party Lawmaker: South Korea's territory begins from the southern fence—can you agree with that?]

[Kim Gyu-ha / Army Chief of Staff: I cannot agree.]

The Ministry of National Defense also characterized the statement as the "personal view of the UNC commander," stating, "Our position on territorial sovereignty is firm."

The UN Command moved to quell the controversy, explaining that "this was an explanation of responsibilities within the Demilitarized Zone under the Armistice Agreement, and there is no room for doubt regarding the sovereignty of the Republic of Korea."

Regarding Commander Brunson's recent series of controversial comments, including that "new standards have emerged for the wartime operational control transfer," the South Korean government reportedly conveyed its concerns to the U.S. side through multiple channels, and the U.S. side is said to have shared those concerns.

Meeting with reporters today, President Lee Jae-myung said, "Entrusting and relying on another country for wartime operational control is by no means a situation that can be left unaddressed," adding, "Wartime operational control must certainly be retaken early, and consultations between South Korea and the United States are fundamentally progressing toward its return."

(Video by Kim Hyeon-sang and Cho Chang-hyeon | Video Editing by Jeong Seong-hun | Graphics by Kim Han-gil and Byeon Da-yeong)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.