hankyoreh

By Park Byong-su, senior staff writer

Long after agreeing to relocate the ROK-US Combined Forces Command (CFC) to Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, the United States Forces Korea (USFK) is sparking controversy by asking to have CFC remain in Seoul.

The US army recently requested discussions about the idea of leaving CFC in Yongsan, a government official said on July 14. The position of USFK is that keeping CFC in Seoul is necessary to guarantee seamless cooperation on work with the South Korean Ministry of National Defense (MND) and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

However, if the CFC stays in Yongsan, chaos is sure to result, since major changes will have to be made to plans for the Yongsan Park. In accordance with a law enacted in 2007, the South Korean government has been pursuing a plan to create a 2.43 million ㎥ park after the Yongsan base is relocated.

Aware of how sensitive the issue is, the MND is approaching it cautiously. Even inside the ministry, there are conflicting opinions.

“Even if Combined Forces Command goes to Pyeongtaek, there is a command and control link, so there would be no problems with joint operations. The US and South Korea need to abide by their original agreement,” said one senior military officer, on condition of anonymity.

Another senior military officer offered a counterargument. “Having the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul and Combined Forces Command in the rear creates problems for efficient operations,” the official said.

“The government’s basic stance about moving the Yongsan base to Pyeongtaek according to the Yongsan Relocation Plan (YRP) remains unchanged,” said Defense Ministry spokesperson Kim Min-seok during a press briefing on Monday.

But Kim also effectively acknowledged the need for deliberations between South Korea and the US. “Combined Forces Command must be maintained until the transfer of wartime operational control. Even assuming that the US Forces Korea command at the Yongsan Base moves to Pyeongtaek, we are still left with the question of what to do about the rest [CFC],” he said.

However, since the relocation of the Yongsan Base - including CFC - was part of the Future of the Alliance (FOTA) ROK-US agreement made in Jan. 2004, it is inappropriate for the US army to attempt to reverse that decision now, critics say.

The relocation of the Yongsan Base was decided during the US-ROK summit in May 2003 during the administration of former President Roh Moo-hyun, but the question of moving CFC has taken many twists and turns. Initially, both sides agreed to leave CFC at Yongsan, providing it with an area of 562,000 ㎥.

But at the last minute, the US changed its mind and asked for 925,000 ㎥, and South Korea refused to provide more than 661,000 ㎥. In the end, the two sides decided to move CFC to Pyeongtaek.

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