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Korea Herald
2 days ago
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Lee proposes wartime OPCON transfer by 2030
Proposal includes restoring inter-Korean relations, pursuing pragmatic diplomacy The transition of wartime operational control from the United States to South Korea has been designated as a key national security priority in the Lee Jae Myung administration's five-year governance plan that was unveiled Wednesday. According to the State Affairs Planning Committee — a de facto transition team tasked with drafting the administration's long-term agenda — the government aims to establish and implement a road map for the OPCON transfer during Lee's term. The plan calls for strengthening South Korea's operational planning and command capabilities to enhance deterrence against North Korea, while reaffirming that the transition will proceed in close coordination between the South Korea and US alliance. The OPCON transfer has long been a point of discussion between Seoul and Washington. South Korea has not held wartime operational control of its troops since the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950, when the authority was relinquished to the United Nations Command. It was later transferred to the South Korea-US Combined Forces Command, which remains under the leadership of a US four-star general. In 1994, under the liberal Kim Young-sam administration, South Korea regained peacetime operational control. However, wartime command authority continues to reside with the US under the current Combined Forces Command structure. With President Lee expected to hold his first summit with US President Donald Trump later this month in Washington, the OPCON issue is likely to resurface as a key agenda item. Broader alliance matters, including the level of the US troop presence in South Korea and defense cost-sharing, are also expected to be discussed. Lee, who attended the committee's briefing session, stressed that the committee's overall five-year plan should not be seen as finalized government policy, but as a set of recommendations. "These are not a confirmed plan," Lee said. "It is a set of proposals outlining the desirable direction of state affairs. We will take them into account, and they may be revised through the process of consultation and coordination." He added that the government would "thoroughly and swiftly review" the committee's proposals and implement "as much as possible within feasible bounds." Caution remains within the military. Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander of the South Korea-US Combined Forces Command, reiterated last week that the transition must proceed under the agreed conditions. "If we choose to take shortcuts, that could endanger the readiness of the force here on the peninsula," Brunson said during a press conference at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. "The hope is — the hope has always been — that OPCON transfer would happen at some point in the future when the conditions are met." In addition to OPCON, the administration plans to upgrade South Korea's three-axis defense system, which was developed in response to growing threats from North Korea. The system consists of the Kill Chain preemptive strike platform, the Korea Air and Missile Defense system and the Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation strategy. To address the steadily shrinking number of military personnel, the government plans to restructure military branches, expand the use of civilian resources and improve the readiness of reserve forces. It also pledged to support the defense industry by fostering high-tech sectors such as artificial intelligence, drone systems, advanced engines and space technologies, as well as by pursuing innovation in weapons acquisition. Meanwhile, the blueprint also calls for the dissolution of the Defense Counterintelligence Command, with its core functions to be transferred to other agencies. The unit, tasked with countering North Korean espionage, has come under scrutiny for its role in former President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law declaration on Dec. 3, 2024. It was reported to have attempted to locate lawmakers and gain access to the National Election Commission during the incident. Inter-Korean policy, pragmatic diplomacy The blueprint also outlines a major shift in inter-Korean policy, moving away from confrontation and toward reconciliation. The government aims to restore inter-Korean relations by reopening communication channels, resuming talks and civilian exchanges and restarting humanitarian cooperation — a broader effort that, according to the committee, also includes pursuing a basic agreement between the two Koreas, modeled after the 1972 treaty between East and West Germany. The committee emphasized that any path toward unification must be grounded in public consensus, pledging to broaden civic participation in policymaking, promote peace and unification education and foster a more balanced public perception of North Korea. In broader diplomacy, the Lee administration promised a pragmatic approach based on national interest. The government seeks to evolve the alliance with the US into a future-oriented comprehensive partnership, pursue forward-looking relations with Japan, deepen strategic ties with China and manage relations with Russia in a stable and constructive manner. The plan also reaffirmed Seoul's commitment to expanding its outreach to G7 nations, building upon the New Southern and New Northern policies, and to strengthening engagement with countries in the Global South.
Korea Herald
3 days ago
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Lee pledges complete wartime OPCON transfer by 2030
Proposal includes restoring inter-Korean relations, pursuing pragmatic diplomacy The transition of wartime operational control from the United States to South Korea has been designated as a key national security priority in the Lee Jae Myung administration's five-year governance plan that was unveiled Wednesday. According to the State Affairs Planning Committee — a de facto transition team tasked with drafting the administration's long-term agenda — the government aims to establish and implement a road map for the OPCON transfer during Lee's term. The plan calls for strengthening South Korea's operational planning and command capabilities to enhance deterrence against North Korea, while reaffirming that the transition will proceed in close coordination between the South Korea and US alliance. The OPCON transfer has long been a point of discussion between Seoul and Washington. South Korea has not held wartime operational control of its troops since the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950, when the authority was relinquished to the United Nations Command. It was later transferred to the South Korea-US Combined Forces Command, which remains under the leadership of a US four-star general. In 1994, under the liberal Kim Young-sam administration, South Korea regained peacetime operational control. However, wartime command authority continues to reside with the US under the current Combined Forces Command structure. With President Lee expected to hold his first summit with US President Donald Trump later this month in Washington, the OPCON issue is likely to resurface as a key agenda item. Broader alliance matters, including the level of the US troop presence in South Korea and defense cost-sharing, are also expected to be discussed. Yet Lee, who attended the committee's briefing session, stressed that the plan should not be seen as finalized government policy, but as a set of recommendations. "This is not a confirmed plan," Lee said. "It is a set of proposals outlining the desirable direction of state affairs. We will take them into account, and they may be revised through the process of consultation and coordination." He added that the government would "thoroughly and swiftly review" the committee's proposals and implement "as much as possible within feasible bounds." Caution remains within the military. Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander of the South Korea-US Combined Forces Command, reiterated last week that the transition must proceed under the agreed conditions. "If we choose to take shortcuts, that could endanger the readiness of the force here on the peninsula," Brunson said during a press conference at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. "The hope is — the hope has always been — that OPCON transfer would happen at some point in the future when the conditions are met." In addition to OPCON, the administration plans to upgrade South Korea's three-axis defense system, which was developed in response to growing threats from North Korea. The system consists of the Kill Chain preemptive strike platform, the Korea Air and Missile Defense system and the Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation strategy. To address the steadily shrinking number of military personnel, the government plans to restructure military branches, expand the use of civilian resources and improve the readiness of reserve forces. It also pledged to support the defense industry by fostering high-tech sectors such as artificial intelligence, drone systems, advanced engines and space technologies, as well as by pursuing innovation in weapons acquisition. Meanwhile, the blueprint also calls for the dissolution of the Defense Counterintelligence Command, with its core functions to be transferred to other agencies. The unit, tasked with countering North Korean espionage, has come under scrutiny for its role in former President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law declaration on Dec. 3, 2024. It was reported to have attempted to locate lawmakers and gain access to the National Election Commission during the incident. Inter-Korean policy, pragmatic diplomacy The blueprint also outlines a major shift in inter-Korean policy, moving away from confrontation and toward reconciliation. The government aims to restore inter-Korean relations by reopening communication channels, resuming talks and civilian exchanges and restarting humanitarian cooperation — a broader effort that, according to the committee, also includes pursuing a basic agreement between the two Koreas, modeled after the 1972 treaty between East and West Germany. The committee emphasized that any path toward unification must be grounded in public consensus, pledging to broaden civic participation in policymaking, promote peace and unification education and foster a more balanced public perception of North Korea. In broader diplomacy, the Lee administration promised a pragmatic approach based on national interest. The government seeks to evolve the alliance with the US into a future-oriented comprehensive partnership, pursue forward-looking relations with Japan, deepen strategic ties with China and manage relations with Russia in a stable and constructive manner. The plan also reaffirmed Seoul's commitment to expanding its outreach to G7 nations, building upon the New Southern and New Northern policies, and to strengthening engagement with countries in the Global South.
The Star
07-08-2025
- Politics
- The Star
South Korea, US to conduct major joint military drills starting August 18
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - AUGUST 7: (L to R) Col. Lee Sung-jun, public affairs director of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff and Col. Ryan Donald, public affairs director of the United Nations Command (UNC), Combined Forces Command (CFC), and United States Forces Korea (USFK) attend the press briefing of Ulchi Freedom Shield 2025 exercise at the Defense Ministry on August 07, 2025 in Seoul, South Korea. The 11-day Freedom Shield is part of an annual combined training with troops from South Korea and the United States. Chung Sung-Jun/Pool via REUTERS SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korea and the United States will conduct major joint military drills starting on August 18, their military officials said on Thursday, announcing an annual defensive exercise that has been a source of tension with North Korea. The 11-day annual exercise, called Ulchi Freedom Shield, will be adjusted this year by rescheduling 20 out of 40 training events to September, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesperson Lee Sung-jun said at a briefing on Thursday. The decision to spread out the scheduling, included reasons such as extreme weather, he said, denying there were any political factors behind the move. This year's drill will test upgraded response to heightened North Korean nuclear threats as well as cutting-edge technologies used in modern wars, Lee said, citing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. The exercise will include a scenario on a North Korean missile launch, but would not cover a potential nuclear test by Pyongyang, he said. (Reporting by Jack Kim and Heejin Kim; Editing by Himani Sarkar, Ed Davies)
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Top US general in Korea talks maps, China, and getting Patriots back
Sitting at a desk in a remote Pentagon office, last Wednesday, Gen. Xavier Brunson has two maps displayed beside him. One hung on the wall shows the entire world, displayed in a wide rectangle. Another, printed on a paper sheet in front of him, depicts Seoul and its distance from other nearby capitals: Tokyo, Taipei, Manila and Beijing, among others. Rather than showing the usual north-to-south view of Asia, from where Brunson sits this one depicts what the region would look like if peering out from China's eastern coast. Brunson has been sharing this second map in his many meetings in Washington, while arguing for the value of his command — overseeing the 28,500 U.S. troops in Korea. Seoul has one of Asia's strongest militaries and sits inside the vital 'first island chain' of countries that arc off China's coast like a parenthesis. 'It begins with looking from an enemy's perspective and then seeing where you are and how you might array your capabilities,' Brunson said. But South Korea also has one of the world's most alarming neighbors. In the last year, North Korea has traded troops and ammunition in exchange for Russian technology — on missiles, satellites, submarines, drones and most alarmingly a rogue nuclear program. Last year, North Korea conducted 47 ballistic missile tests, a number Brunson now expects to go down with Russia's aid. All this makes Brunson's job — or jobs — harder. Alongside U.S. forces on the peninsula, he would also lead South Korean troops in the case of a war, an arrangement known as Combined Forces Command, or CFC. He also helms United Nations Command, the group of 18 countries that have helped keep the peace on the Korean Peninsula since 1950. Brunson sat down with Defense News on May 7 to discuss the 75th anniversary of UN Command, the future of U.S. forces in Korea and the assumptions he's trying to upend with the help of his maps. This interview has been edited for brevity. North Korea has changed its policies — more emphasis on sovereignty, a new view of the southern border. How does UN Command need to change as well? The North Koreans have changed fundamentally. The associations amongst the adversaries — those authoritarian colluders, if you will — in China and Russia and the [Democratic People's Republic of Korea], those relationships have changed and matured. We have to do the same thing. What's really in the offing is that year 76 forward is going to be different for UN Command. The mandate remains, but our composition, our posture even may change in the future. And we've got to be flexible enough to do that. Do you expect big changes to posture or membership, potentially the addition of new member states? I won't mention these nations because those are bilateral things that are going on with the Republic of Korea, but there are nations that want to participate. We just recently got a New Zealand contingent that's come to the peninsula. And if you talk about things that excite me, it's when I talk to those ambassadors and they look at me and they say: 'Hey, we're working to get our soldiers here.' I wanted to ask about one of the other hats that you wear, which is the CFC. Has the timeline for handing over operational control of South Korean forces moved up? I've heard some mention of the urgency of that. My piece is to continue to talk to leadership about where we stand. We're continually trying to assess where we are along the bilaterally agreed upon conditions-based [operational control] transfer. If that decision is made, then my job is to now develop the strategy that lets us keep that policy moving forward. When leadership has made a decision, it's my job to make it work. To be clear, there's no decision that has been made yet, though? None that I know of. There were a few Patriot air defense batteries that were brought away from the peninsula to help with the campaign in the Middle East. Now we've reached a ceasefire in Yemen, do you know when those are coming back? No, I don't know when exactly those capabilities are going to come back. But I do know that the [Indo-Pacific Command] commander has been able to ensure that we had other capabilities for an extended period of time within the Republic Korea. This is not the first time that capabilities have left the peninsula. In rough order, between 50 and 60 times, capabilities have gone to other places to support [military needs] around the globe. My job is to ensure that we're able to meet the strictures of the Mutual Defense Treaty. I can say unequivocally, we can do everything that we're supposed to do. I just want the stuff back because those are my people. The increasing adversary that people in this building are concerned about is China. How are you working with South Korea to reorient around that threat? Nations are going to make decisions that align with their own interests — always. There are economic relationships in the Indo-Pacific. There are security relationships in the Indo-Pacific. What I find is that our ability to see, sense, and understand in and around the peninsula is coming closer in alignment. For example, in the West Sea right now, there are structures being erected by the Chinese. The Koreans see that. There are encroachments in and around the northern limit line by Chinese fishing vessels and Chinese naval vessels that cause concern to the Koreans. They understand that those are threats that may have to be dealt with at some point in time. South Korea has an election in June after the last president was impeached for declaring martial law. Regardless of who wins, do you think the recent work with Japan, South Korea will last? I think it will survive because the threat will continue to metastasize. If there's a thing that our adversaries have learned over time is the power of alliances, the power of proxies. You can look in the Middle East and see a proxy fight that's going on. You can look in our region now, and we've got North Korea sending troops and materiel to Russia to participate in the conflict, not their own. We see China is still a benefactor for North Korea. The new leader in the Republic of Korea from 4 June forward has to take on the fact that his nation sits at the juncture of an alliance of sorts that he's got to counter. How many North Korean troops are now in Russia? I think 10 to 12 [thousand] is where we throw our estimates at. This alignment gives North Korea different options than they've had previously facing sanctions. How do you continue to counter that? It's capability on capability. What can our adversaries do? What do we need to be able to do? That really leads me to a sort of integrated assurance. It's using all the elements of power, of national power to assure our friends, partners and allies of our commitment to the alliance. What we have that's unique in South Korea is we have diplomacy, and we've got the military there, partnered for the past 70 years. We have the means to continue to assure our ally that we are there. That also sounds the bell every day that we're on the peninsula to Russia and China. We're in the neighborhood.
Korea Herald
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
S. Korea, US update wartime plans against North Korea's ‘increasingly sophisticated threats'
South Korea and the US have updated their joint wartime operation plans, in response to North Korea's 'increasingly sophisticated' nuclear weapons program, the commander of US Forces Korea said late Wednesday. Gen. Xavier Brunson, who also leads the South Korea-US Combined Forces Command and UN Command, said that the decades-old allies signed a new joint wartime operations plan last year, in a written statement submitted to the US House Armed Services Committee. "Last year, we took a significant step forward in our combat readiness when the new combined Operations Plan was signed," Brunson said, according to a document distributed to reporters by the USFK. "Over the past several years, alliance planners worked diligently to construct and develop this plan, constantly testing and validating its concepts through execution during our biannual FS and UFS exercise events," he added. Brunson referred to regular joint South Korea-US military drills, known as Freedom Shield and Ulchi Freedom Shield. The new wartime operations plan, the name of which has yet to be officially announced, is believed to have replaced OPLAN 5015, which was signed in 2015. Seoul and Washington in recent years have cooperated to update the plan, with critics voicing the need for the plan to recognize the latest advances in the North's nuclear program. Brunson stressed that the new plan addresses the latest shifts in the security environment surrounding the Korean Peninsula. 'In response to the evolving security environment, where the DPRK's WMD and missile capabilities are increasingly sophisticated, the new OPLAN better prepares CFC prior to armed conflict,' he said. "We will continue to use this plan, refine it, conduct exercises and develop our OAIs to support it." DPRK stands for North Korea's official name the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, while OAI stands for operations, activities and investments. WMD refers to weapons of mass destruction. Brunson highlighted the advantages of US strategic assets and troops deployed on the Korean Peninsula as well. The remarks come amid growing concerns here that Washington could shift the primary role of the 28,500 US troops stationed in South Korea from countering North Korean threats to deterring a potential Chinese move against Taiwan. 'Moreover, US strategic asset deployments to the Korean Peninsula allow training opportunities with multinational forces, operationalize extended deterrence and signal US commitment to the security of the ROK,' Brunson explained, referring to South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea. 'The ROK sits at the heart of Northeast Asia, which remains a critical region among great powers and regional actors.' Brunson also said that Washington should keep in mind the security threats on the Korean Peninsula could have 'far-reaching implications' for the US. 'It is critical to recognize that a potential conflict on the Korean Peninsula could have far-reaching implications for US interests, regional and global affairs,' he said.
