hankyoreh

November 2007.

By Kim Kyu-won, staff reporter

A question mark is hovering over the scheduled transfer of wartime operational command to South Korea on December 1, 2015. Reductions in the mandatory military service period for males, which then-candidate Park Geun-hye promised just before the election, appear to be off the table now. Meanwhile, the Ministry of National Defense announced plans to revive the National Defense Spirit Education Center, which was operated during the presidency of Park’s father, Park Chung-hee, before being closed down under the Kim Dae-jung administration.

During an Apr. 1 work report to the President at its building in Seoul’s Yongsan district, the ministry announced that it was planning to push for a target date of December 2015 for the transfer of wartime operational command and develop a “new combined defense system.” It also said it would give “close consideration” to the current security situation and the preparedness of South Korea’s armed forces.

Observers said the report could cloud the issue of the transfer date. In it, the military said that the date of December 1, 2015, was a “target,” without nailing it down as definite. It also said the issues of the security situation, preparedness, and an allied defense system with the US would be tied to the transfer question.

A source with the ministry said it planned to conduct three tests of overall readiness for a transfer, adding that it may hold discussions with the US on any problems that emerge.

The pledged three-month reduction of the mandatory military service period - from its current 21 months to 18 - also looks unlikely to pan out. During the report, the ministry said it would push for a reduction “in the mid to long term, once the conditions are met.” The “conditions” in question were threefold: enough noncommissioned officers to offset the reduction, improvements in soldiers’ skill levels, and improvements in the level of officers.

It also announced plans to revive the National Defense Spirit Education Center, a successor to the Spiritual Fighting Strength School operated during the Park Chung-hee era. In its report, it said it had formed a task force to make preparations, with a target opening date of January 2014. The Spiritual Fighting Strength School underwent a name change to “National Defense Spirit Education Center” before being closed down in 1999 under the Kim Dae-jung administration. Analysts said the school’s plan to revive it was based on Park’s favorable opinion of it and a plan for preventing a bottleneck in officer appointments by creating new posts for them.

By October, the Ministry of National Defense plans to come up with a joint strategy to deter North Korean use of a nuclear weapon. It also plans to develop a cyberattack response scenario by the end of the year. Soldier pay is to be doubled from 2012 levels by 2017, and the military announced plans to select a provider for next-generation fighter planes and large attack helicopters within the first half of the year.

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