Defense head seeks delay of 2012 military handoff plan
Published: 24 Feb. 2010, 21:19
The United States should retain responsibility for security on the Korean Peninsula for as long as possible because of persistent threats from North Korea, South Korean Defense Minister Kim Tae-young said yesterday.
In a special lecture hosted by the Korea Institute for Maritime Strategy, Kim said he hopes the United States will delay the handover of wartime operational control to South Korea, scheduled to take place in 2012. However, he said he doubted such a delay is feasible, as the date of the handover has already been decided by the two governments.
“Scrapping such an agreement won’t be possible unless South Korea gives up a lot,” Kim said.
“We are looking for ways to resolve our concerns while keeping the initial agreement. We are also cooperating with the United States on this matter.”
Kim’s statement came as many here say it will be premature for Seoul to take over wartime operational control as scheduled on April 17, 2012, as long as the North is still making military provocations toward the South.
Kim’s remarks also hinted that Seoul may have sought Washington’s cooperation to delay the timing of the transfer.
Kim said the timing is particularly unfavorable because of political uncertainties surrounding the peninsula. South Korea and the United States both will have presidential elections in 2012, Kim said.
In addition, the North has declared its intention to have a strong and prosperous country by that year, while Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile aspirations would likely remain unresolved.
The Roh Moo-hyun and George W. Bush administrations agreed in 2007 that Korea would control its military in wartime starting in April 2012, but Kim has voiced concerns about Korea’s readiness.
He said last month in a seminar that receiving wartime control in 2012 would be “the worst-case scenario for the military,” because the North might by then have full nuclear capability beyond the South’s ability to combat it.
By Lee Min-yong [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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