Cheong Wa Dae “For wartime operational control (OPCON), what binds us is ‘expeditiously, conditions-based’… We are working to complete the transfer within the government term” - 경향신문

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Cheong Wa Dae main building. Kwon Do-hyun

On the 30th, regarding the transfer of wartime operational control, Cheong Wa Dae said, “Among the matters agreed by South Korea and the United States, if there is anything that binds us, it is the phrase ‘expeditiously, conditions-based’,” adding, “ ‘Expeditiously’ is a pledge to accomplish it within our government term (2028), and we have worked to meet the conditions and have met a considerable portion.” On dispatch to the Strait of Hormuz, it stated, “It is difficult to do nothing in the international community,” and noted that National Assembly consent is required to expand the Cheonghae Unit area of operations.

A senior presidential official met reporters at Cheong Wa Dae that day and, regarding interpretations by some that the United States holds a negative stance on OPCON transfer, said, “The United States is not negative about the transfer itself.”

The official said, “In the early 2000s, the Roh Moo-hyun administration first raised OPCON transfer, and South Korea and the United States agreed on 2012 as the transfer point,” adding, “The Lee Myung-bak administration postponed it to 2015, and until then there were no conditions, but under the Park Geun-hye administration it changed to a ‘conditions-based transfer’.” The official explained, “Under the Moon Jae-in administration, the summit statement included the expression ‘expeditiously, conditions-based’.”

The official said, “What is important is to carry out the OPCON transfer ‘at an early date, in line with the conditions’, and beyond that, there must be no disruption to South KoreaU.S. coordination or the combined defense posture after the transfer,” adding, “It may look like chasing several rabbits, but with a smooth agreement, all can be resolved.”

The government has been coordinating with the United States to designate 2028, within the term of the Lee Jae Myung administration, as the target year for OPCON transfer. By contrast, United States Forces Korea Commander Xavier Brunson presented the first quarter of 2029 at a U.S. Senate hearing and elsewhere as the timing for the transfer. This differs from the South Korean government plan by about one to one and a half years. The government judges that there is not a large divergence between the two sides regarding the transfer timing.

The official said, “The reason this has become a hard problem now is because of various narratives at home,” adding, “It has been amplified and sharpened beyond the reality due to domestic political factors, and we seek to reach a conclusion through smooth consultations while avoiding that.”

However, regarding the postponement of the annual Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) between the two countries’ defense ministers to early next year, the official conveyed, “SCM was originally scheduled for the end of this year but moved to early next year, and there is said to be no special reason,” adding, “The Ministry of National Defense cites scheduling reasons.”

On dispatch to the Strait of Hormuz, the official said, “If we relocate the Cheonghae Unit to expand its mission area, National Assembly consent is required.” The official added, “The dependence of European countries on the Strait of Hormuz is 20 percent, and ours is 60~70 percent,” and said, “Given the stance we have taken so far, doing nothing in the international community is a difficult option, and the question of how we will contribute remains.”

The government is reviewing a plan to temporarily expand the area of operations of the Cheonghae Unit, which is deployed to the Gulf of Aden off Somalia, to the Gulf of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz. A plan is being discussed to submit to the National Assembly an extension motion for the Cheonghae Unit, which expires on December 31 this year, including expanding the area of operations and deploying additional maritime patrol aircraft.

Regarding multiple proposals by the government for inter-Korean military authorities talks to resolve the discrepancy in recognition of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL), the official said, “Since various things are mixed regarding the MDL, I think it is necessary to set an orderly, unified position, but the outlook is not very good.”

The official said, “If things continue as they are now, several versions regarding the MDL will exist, and in reality there is a high likelihood that barbed-wire fences will exist, which would be a violation of the Armistice Agreement.” The official added, “The fences installed by North Korea are facilities North Korea is installing in violation of the Armistice Agreement at its own discretion; they are not a national border,” and said, “We will assess how to judge the situation after monitoring developments.”

The official said, “The outlook for a North KoreaU.S. summit is very uncertain, but not impossible, so we are keeping multiple possibilities in mind.” The official continued, “There is not yet a consideration at the government level to propose such a meeting, as there are no signs indicating whether it will occur,” while adding, “If we enter such a situation, we are paying attention to the need for a mechanism to communicate, coordinate, and consult with the U.S. side so that we can serve well as a pace-setter.”

“The U.S. raised issues with enforcement related to fair trade… We are trying to unlock security negotiations that are on hold”

Regarding the situation in which intelligence cooperation on North Korea between South Korea and the United States is limited, the official said, “It is true that there are some constraints on intelligence cooperation between South Korea and the United States, and it is also known that the issue is related to Minister of Unification Jeong Dong-yeong’s ‘Guseong’ remark,” adding, “It is an issue that must be resolved, and we are working to resolve it.” The United States has restricted the provision of some North Korea-related intelligence, taking issue with Minister Jeong’s remark that ‘there is a nuclear facility in Guseong, North Pyongan Province, North Korea’.

The official said, “There are issues that have arise in investment-related discussions, and there are issues related to companies,” adding, “We are at the stage of seeking ways to resolve them.” On corporate matters, the official said, “The issue is not only about Coupang; it spans multiple companies such as Google and Apple. There has also been a degree of U.S. questioning regarding the enforcement of fair trade-related laws, and consultations are underway.” This appears to refer to the online platform law or the law to eradicate false and manipulated information (amendment to the Information and Communications Network Act).

Regarding security negotiations such as those on nuclear-powered submarines, the official said, “After last year’s South KoreaU.S. summit, things proceeded relatively smoothly, then became stagnant due to delays in investment in the United States. There is also the issue of information constraints, and things have become complicated,” adding, “We are trying to unlock discussions that are currently on hold (suspended).”

However, the official conveyed that these kinds of growing pains between South Korea and the United States do not appear to be connected to the recent visa issuance issues involving political figures such as Democratic Party lawmakers Jeong Cheong-rae and Jin Seong-jun. The official said, “The U.S. side says visas are reviewed separately as visas,” adding, “As it is not customary to notify why such results come out, we do not know the exact reason.”