South Korea denies reports of disbanding the joint South Korea-U.S. command.

The South Korean Ministry of Defense stated that South Korea and the United States will maintain a joint command system to ensure a robust common defense posture on the Korean Peninsula.

The South Korean Ministry of Defense recently affirmed that the country and the United States will continue to maintain the current structure of the Combined Forces Command after South Korea takes over wartime operational control (OPCON) from the U.S., refuting reports that the joint command mechanism between the two allies might be dissolved after the transfer.

According to information from the South Korean Ministry of Defense, cited by a TTXVN correspondent in Seoul, the two countries will maintain a joint command system to ensure a solid common defense posture on the Korean Peninsula.

The ministry also cited the 2018 agreement between South Korea and the United States to establish a Future Combined Forces Command after the completion of the transfer of wartime operational control, with an operating mechanism similar to the current command.

The statement was issued after South Korean media reported that the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) had expressed concerns about the possibility of transferring wartime operational control too quickly without fully meeting the necessary military conditions.

The U.S. argues that in that scenario, it would be very difficult for the U.S. military to operate under the operational control of a South Korean general within the current framework of joint command.

South Korean media suggested that this could lead to changes or the dissolution of the Combined Forces Command structure between the two countries. However, the South Korean Ministry of Defense affirmed that the U.S. has never proposed any changes to the current agreement to the South Korean military. The ministry also expressed regret over the information reported by the South Korean media, stating that such information risks undermining the South Korea-U.S. bilateral alliance.

When asked for comment, U.S. forces stationed in South Korea reiterated their position that the South Korea-U.S. alliance remains committed to the wartime operational control transfer process based on agreed-upon conditions.

An official from the U.S. Forces stationed in South Korea said the current focus is on strengthening joint defense capabilities and ensuring the security of both South Korea and the United States.

According to South Korean media, US forces stationed in South Korea expressed concerns about South Korea's accelerated wartime operational control transfer process during a meeting with US Undersecretary of Warfare for Policy Elbridge Colby during a visit to Seoul last January. The US is believed to have subsequently conveyed this position to the South Korean government .

The administration of President Lee Jae-myung is currently pushing to regain wartime operational control within its five-year term, projected to last until 2030. A source in Seoul said the South Korean government believes the two countries can meet the necessary conditions for the transfer as early as next year.

However, the commander of U.S. forces stationed in South Korea, General Xavier Brunson, stated in a hearing before the House Armed Services Committee last month that the two allies aim to fully meet the transition conditions by the first quarter of 2029 at the latest. This statement indicates that certain differences still exist between Seoul and Washington regarding the timeline for completing the transition process.

South Korea and the United States have been pushing for a conditional transfer of wartime operational control since reaching an agreement in October 2014. These conditions include South Korea's military's ability to lead a combined force, Seoul's defensive and offensive capabilities, and a suitable regional security environment.

During the Korean War (1950-1953), South Korea transferred operational control of its military to the United Nations Command, led by the United States.

Following the establishment of the Combined Forces Command (CJC) in 1978, control shifted to this new command structure. Seoul regained peacetime operational control in 1994, but wartime control remains in the U.S.

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(VNA/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/han-quoc-bac-tin-giai-the-bo-chi-huy-chung-han-my-post1113067.vnp