hankyoreh

second right

At the 41st Republic of Korea-U.S. Security Consultative Meeting (SCM), held at the office of the Ministry of National Defense in Seoul’s Yongsan district on Thursday, the two countries reaffirmed the plan to transfer wartime operation control to South Korea by Apr. 17, 2012.

In a joint communique issued Thursday following the SCM, South Korean Defense Minister Kim Tae-young and U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates stated, “We agree with the Republic of Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC) Commander’s report that the transition of wartime operational control (OPCON) of ROK military forces is proceeding smoothly and on schedule.” The communique also said that Kim and Gates “reaffirm their intent for the transition to occur on April 17, 2012.”

At a joint press conference immediately after the SCM, Gates said that he is “absolutely certain” about the date of the transfer and that he is satisfied with the level of the transfer efforts currently under way. Gates also said that in the event of an emergency on the Korean Peninsula, reinforcements of U.S. military forces and capabilities throughout the world would be positioned to defend the Republic of Korea (ROK). In the statement, Gates reaffirmed, “The U.S. commitment to provide extended deterrence for the ROK, using the full range of military capabilities, to include the U.S. nuclear umbrella, conventional strike, and missile capabilities.”

However, no direct consensus was presented at Thursday’s SCM on the redeployment of South Korean forces in Afghanistan, which has become an issue of pressing importance. The only reference to the issue in the communique stated that Kim and Gates would “continue to enhance close alliance cooperation to address wide-ranging global security challenges of mutual interest, including through peacekeeping activities, stabilization and reconstruction efforts, humanitarian assistance, and disaster relief.” Last year’s SCM communique stated the minister and secretary “share the view that the support of the international community would be required for bringing greater stability and reconstruction to Afghanistan,” and raised the issue of the need for support in Afghanistan from South Korea.

The U.S. defense secretary’s tone was somewhat subdued. Gates emphasized autonomous decision-making by South Korea and said that the issue of South Korean support in Afghanistan is “entirely up to the government of the Republic of Korea.” Observers, however, are saying that this alone does not lend itself to the interpretation that the U.S. has changed its position on wanting South Korea to redeploy forces in Afghanistan. “The U.S. has a guideline of not formally requesting deployment in consideration of contrary public opinion in South Korea,” said Kim Jong-dae, the editor-in-chief of the defense journal “D&D Focus.” According to Kim, Gates’ remarks on Wednesday should be seen as essentially a substitution for the demand to the South Korean government for troop redeployment.

Within the South Korean government, a number reacted with the perspective that additional financial support for Afghanistan appears inevitable. A senior government official said that the amount of Afghan support provided to date is about 100 million dollars, less than the 2 billion dollars provided by Japan or even the 500 million dollars from Iran.

A decision on the troop deployment issue, however, will not be easy as the government is caught between the domestic political burden and the tacit demands of the U.S. Even if South Korea sends forces for civilian operations, such as maintaining law and order or supporting construction, rather than combat forces, it will inevitably arouse suspicions that the effort is designed to clear the way for a combat force deployment.

Speaking on the deployment issue Thursday at the parliamentary audit and inspection of the government, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Shin Kak-soo said, “It is difficult to speak about this issue as it is an issue currently under discussion and has not been decided.” In the meantime, the South Korean government is making plans to increase the scale of its provincial reconstruction team (PRT) in Afghanistan, currently about 30 people, to 85 people by next year.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]