hankyoreh

By Kim Kyu-won, staff reporter and Seok Jin-hwan, Blue House correspondent

South Korean Minister of National Defense Kim Kwan-jin met with US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel recently and suggested that the transfer of wartime operational control, which is scheduled to take place on Dec. 1, 2015, be delayed, sources say. South Korea has already delayed the timing of the handover on one previous occasion.

“It is my understanding that the South Korean government recently suggested that the transfer of operational control be delayed,” a top Pentagon official was quoted as saying on July 16 (local time) by Yonhap News Agency. “We are reviewing this issue with the South Korean government.”

“The proposal made by the South Korean government has also been passed on to US President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry,” the official said on condition of anonymity.

But speaking about the transfer of operational control, the official said, “This shows us that the US-ROK alliance is entering a new stage of evolution. We have reached the stage where South Korea is capable of taking more responsibility for its security by increasing the ability and capacity of its military and creating an elite force. ”

“At this stage, South Korea ought to take more responsibility for its security, and we also hope that it will do so.”

The comment indicates that South Korea has already reached the level of military capacity to allow it to take over wartime operational control.

However, this official emphasized that “the US will not all of a sudden make some kind of decision that will jeopardize South Korea’s security or put it in danger.”

In a July 17 press release, the South Korean Ministry of Defense said, “In consideration of the security situation in the first half of this year, including the growing seriousness of the North Korean nuclear issue, we proposed to the US to review the preparations for transferring operational control of the military. We are currently discussing the issue with the US.”

“Since we are still in the middle of discussions with the US, it cannot be said that these discussions are intended to delay the transfer of operational control again,” said Kim Min-seok, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense.

Kim did acknowledge that the discussions “will deal with several issues, including the timing of the transfer of operational control and the command structure for joint operations.”

The South Korean Ministry of Defense is planning to deliberate about these issues during the Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) and the Military Committee Meeting (MCM), is scheduled to be held in Seoul in October.

The South Korean government’s proposal was reportedly made during a meeting between the defense ministers of both countries at the time of the 12th Asia Security Summit (Shangri-La Dialogue), which was held in Singapore on June 1.

Initially, it was expected that the meeting between the two defense ministers would result in some kind of new agreement about what the command structure for joint operations by the two countries would be like after the transfer of operational control.

At the time, the South Korean Ministry of National Defense said that an agreement on this issue was delayed because Hagel had not been able to adequately review the proposal. But instead, it appears that a discussion took place about once again delaying the transfer of operational control.

In Feb. 2007, when Roh Moo-hyun was president of South Korea, it was decided during a meeting between the two countries’ defense ministers in the US that wartime operational control of the South Korean military would be transferred to South Korea on Apr. 17, 2012.

But in June 2010, then Lee Myung-bak held a summit with Barack Obama, at which they agreed to delay the transfer until Dec. 2015.

Since Park Geun-hye was sworn in as president, National Security Chief Kim Jang-soo and Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin have repeatedly said that they are reviewing the situation with the US with the goal of transferring the operational control in Dec. 2015.

If South Korea delays the transfer of operational control yet again, there is a high likelihood that it will be a long delay. This is because the threat from North Korean nuclear weapons and missiles is very likely to remain for the time being, and it would be difficult for the South Korean military to make adequate preparations in a short period of time.

The ostensible reason that Kim Kwan-jin proposed to Hagel that the transfer of operational command be delayed once again is because of the threat of North Korean nuclear weapons and missiles. Missiles that are equipped with nuclear warheads are regarded as some of the most powerful weapons that exist today.

Since military response measures have not yet been prepared for this kind of weapon, the South Korean government and military believe that it would be dangerous for South Korea to take the lead in wartime operational control or to wield that power alone.

It is precisely in this context that Kim Kwan-jin suggested to Hagel that they review their preparations for transferring operational control, considering the security situation in the first half of 2013, including the growing seriousness of North Korean nuclear weapons, as an important factor.

However, the fundamental reason for suggesting another delay of the transfer can be said to be the passive and negative attitude the Korean military has adopted about the transfer.

The fact is that it would not take long either to resolve the issue of North Korean possession of nuclear weapons and long-range missiles, to reinforce the military capacity of the South Korean army, or to change military operation plans.

In addition, the US has responded to the North Korean nuclear threat by including South Korea in its nuclear umbrella, and North’s long-range missiles are not a threat to South Korea but rather to the US. Considering these facts, the official explanation of why delaying the transfer of operational control is being discussed is not very convincing.

These deliberations with the US have in fact increased the possibility that the transfer of wartime operational control to the South Korean military, which had been planned for Dec. 1, 2015, will come to nothing. This would be the second time this happened, following the delay of the transfer that was originally scheduled for Apr. 2012.

And if this happens, the change of the command structure, which the US and South Korea had been discussing on the assumption that the operational control would be transferred to South Korea, is also expected to be put on hold.

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