S. Korea's new chief general vows combined readiness against N. Korea

By Sam Kim
SEOUL, Sept. 30 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's new chief general pledged Wednesday to
consolidate his country's military alliance with the U.S. and discipline his
655,000 troops in an effort to deter North Korea from provoking a conflict on the
Korean Peninsula.
In a ceremony held at the Ministry of National Defense in Seoul, Gen. Lee
Sang-eui took over as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, after his
predecessor, Kim Tae-young, rose to the post of defense minister in a government
shakeup conducted earlier this month.
"My first mission in my new post is to build the character of a strong military
while securing complete operational readiness to fight and win under any
circumstances," Lee said in a speech. "I will have my forces prepare themselves
so the enemy may not even dare a provocation."
The 58-year-old longtime field commander said North Korea is intensifying threats
against the South by refusing to give up its nuclear and missile programs, and
pledged to lead in the "evolutionary development" of the Seoul-Washington
alliance.
"I will focus on helping to bring together the capabilities of both South Korea
and the United States" to examine and perfect their combined defense system
against the North, he said.
The U.S., which fought on the South Korean side in the 1950-53 Korean War, has
28,500 troops stationed here as the conflict technically continues to this day
after ending in a truce.
Despite the small size of its force here, the U.S. plays a pivotal role in the
defense of South Korea because its commander holds wartime operational control of
South Korean troops.
The control, voluntarily relinquished by Seoul during the war, will be returned
in 2012. The allies are working to make the historic transition as smooth as
possible, a process Lee said last week in a parliamentary hearing was nearly 60
percent complete.
samkim@yna.co.kr
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