Lee's defense nominee says wartime OPCON return a key goal
"We are aiming to complete the transition (of wartime OPCON) within the Lee administration's term of office," Ahn said at a National Assembly hearing on his nomination in response to a question by People Power Party Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun.
Asked about the projected increase in defense spending once South Korea took full charge of wartime OPCON, Ahn replied, "It depends on the study, but I think it's around 21 trillion won."
Claiming wartime control of the Korean military was one of Lee's policy pledges as a presidential candidate, and has been a longtime Democratic Party agenda.
Former President Moon Jae-in of the Democratic Party had also sought to retake wartime control authority under the pretext of reducing Kore's reliance on the US for self-defense.
At the hearing, Ahn drew the line on South Korea possibly developing nuclear latent capabilities, which would mean having the technology and infrastructure necessary to build a nuclear weapon without necessarily owning one.
Ahn also said that Seoul should always keep a wary eye on Pyongyang.
"North Korea hasn't changed since the Korean War. We must always view the North with a question mark in mind, regardless of which administration is in power, but also remember that they are our fellow countrymen," he said.
Ahn's remarks on Tuesday build on his interview with The Korea Herald on April 24, when he was chief special adviser to then-presidential runner Lee and already widely speculated to be his top choice for defense chief.
In the interview, Ahn said that he believes South Korea should have full control of its military in peacetime and during war. Depending on the US for the country's own defense was turning South Korea's armed forces into a "mommy's boy," he said.
Ahn also said in the interview that South Korea falling out of the Non-Proliferation Treaty to cultivate nuclear capabilities was "not an option."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Korea Herald
3 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Talks launched to set date for 1st Lee-Trump summit
Seoul and Washington have launched discussions to set a date for a summit between President Lee Jae Myung and US President Donald Trump, South Korea's Foreign Minister said Friday. The latest talks follow US President Donald Trump's remark that his first summit with Lee would take place in the White House 'within two weeks,' shared the previous day via Truth Social. "(The two sides) are coordinating to set a date (for the summit)," Cho said during a meeting with South Korean correspondents in Washington. Cho added that the 'content' of the summit would be jointly discussed and planned between Seoul and Washington 'at the working level.' Ahead of his meeting with the press, Cho held his first talks with his counterpart, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The top diplomats discussed key issues, including the trade deal reached between Seoul and Washington, and the allies' security commitment to defend peace on the Korean Peninsula against North Korean threats, according to Cho and the US Department of State. On Thursday, the two countries reached a trade agreement in which the US will impose 15 percent tariffs on South Korean goods, down from the initially proposed 25 percent. In exchange, South Korea would invest $350 billion in several US economic sectors. A high-ranking Seoul official, requesting anonymity, told reporters that the discussions for the summit are still at an early stage. '(So far,) the discussions have addressed only the potential dates (for the summit) -- it is expected to take a little more time,' the official said. The official added that it would be difficult to confirm at the moment whether the summit would take place within the two-week timeframe mentioned by Trump. However, Seoul and Washington agree that the summit agenda should include ways to develop and steer the decadesold alliance towards a 'comprehensive' and 'future-oriented' partnership, the official said. As for Trump's possible attendance at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit set to take place in the South Korean city of Gyeongju from Oct. 31 to Nov. 1, Rubio told Cho that he is fully aware of the event and plans to actively review the matter, Seoul's Foreign Ministry said. The White House has not announced whether Trump will join. South Korea's presidential office last month sent out invitation letters to the leaders of the 21 APEC member economies, including the US, China, Russia and Japan. Cho also told reporters that he was able to deliver and explain the Lee administration's foreign policy stance to officials in Washington and that both sides agreed to work toward alleviating tensions on the peninsula. '(Seoul and Washington) will make comprehensive efforts to move in the direction of alleviating tensions on the Korean Peninsula,' Cho said. '(South Korea) plans to closely coordinate with the US in the process and pursue (that goal) with US support.' With the Lee administration seeking to improve inter-Korean relations, there have been discussions in Seoul in recent days about adjusting the annual South Korea-US joint military exercise Ulchi Freedom Shield, scheduled for mid-August. Seoul's Unification Minister Chung Dong-young told reporters on Monday he plans to suggest such adjustments to Lee, but the Defense Ministry said the following day that no changes have yet been made to the scheduled drills. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's powerful sister, Kim Yo-jong, recently denounced Lee by saying that he 'is no different from his predecessor in blindly adhering to the South Korea-US alliance' in a statement released through Pyongyang's state media. She denounced the South Korea-US joint military exercises as "aggressive," and claimed that the decadesold allies will attempt to blame the "deteriorating" security situation on Pyongyang. The North has routinely condemned the joint military drills as a provocation and a rehearsal for invasion.
Korea Herald
7 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Senior Seoul official notes possibility of USFK role change due to 'various factors'
Senior Seoul official notes possibility of USFK role change due to 'various factors' WASHINGTON (Yonhap) -- A senior South Korean official made a rare mention Thursday of a possible change in the role of the US Forces Korea (USFK), amid speculation that US President Donald Trump's administration may seek to shift the focus of its mission to deterring China rather than countering North Korean threats. The official made the remarks in a meeting with South Korean correspondents in Washington as the Trump administration is seeking to "modernize" the South Korea-US alliance to make it "strategically sustainable" in the midst of an intensifying Sino-US rivalry. "I think there can be a change in the role and character of the USFK due to various factors," he said. The official pointed to the evolving international security environment, technological shifts and a "growing strategic role" of China, as he enumerated the factors that could drive a possible shift in the role of the 28,500-strong USFK. However, he cautioned against misconstruing his remarks, saying his talk of a possible change in the USFK role does not mean he concurs on the US view in support of the change. "Allies cannot see eye to eye perfectly with each other on everything," he said. As the Pentagon is working on crafting its National Defense Strategy to prioritize deterring China, speculation has persisted that the Trump administration might pursue greater "strategic flexibility" of the USFK to use it for a wider range of security operations beyond the Korean Peninsula. Opponents of a shift in the USFK role argue that it could lead to a weakening of efforts by Seoul and Washington to deter North Korea's advancing nuclear and missile threats, and that the potential use of the USFK for a mission against China would needlessly put Seoul in a geopolitically challenging position. US Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby has advocated for a shift in the USFK mission, saying American troops in South Korea should not be "held hostage to dealing with the North Korean problem." The future direction of USFK operations is likely to be a key agenda item as South Korea and the US are expected to have earnest discussions on a shared understanding of where their longstanding alliance should be headed for. The official's remarks came after Foreign Minister Cho Hyun held his first talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio since the launch of President Lee Jae Myung's administration.
Korea Herald
11 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Top S. Korean, U.S. diplomats reiterate 'resolute' commitment to N.K. denuclearization
The top diplomats of South Korea and the United States reaffirmed the allies' "resolute" commitment to the "complete" denuclearization of North Korea and the "full" enforcement of sanctions against it during their talks in Washington on Thursday, a State Department spokesperson said. Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held their first talks since the launch of the Lee Jae Myung administration last month, as Seoul and Washington face a series of cooperation issues, including preparations for a summit between Lee and US President Donald Trump. Their meeting came just a day after Trump announced a trade deal with Korea, saying that his summit with President Lee will take place at the White House in two weeks. "Secretary Rubio and Foreign Minister Cho also reaffirmed their resolute commitment to the complete denuclearization of the DPRK, the full implementation of international sanctions, and expressed serious concerns about North Korea's increasing military cooperation with Russia," Tammy Bruce, the spokesperson, said in a readout. DPRK is short for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The chief diplomats' show of unity against North Korean nuclear threats came days after Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ruled out the possibility of talks on the North's denuclearization, while noting the personal relationship between Trump and Kim is "not bad." (Yonhap)
