(EDITORIAL from the JoongAng Daily on Oct. 26)

dailies-editorials (3)



Reset military transfer date

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Minister of National Defense Kim
Tae-young reaffirmed in a joint communique issued at the end of the 41st Security
Consultative Meeting last Thursday that the wartime operational control of South
Korean troops by the commander of the U.S. Forces in Korea will be transferred to
Seoul by April 17, 2012. The agreement came after the two parties recognized the
growing concerns about the transfer, but it is unlikely to completely abolish the
controversy over the plan.
In assessing the overall security situation on the Korean Peninsula, including
military modernization, the economy and the North Korean nuclear issue, there
could be a security crisis here, even if wartime operational control is
transferred as scheduled. Minister Kim also said early this month: ???Upholding
the Republic of Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command is most preferable. However,
we should prepare ourselves for the planned transfer, as it is a promise between
the two nations.???
At this year???s parliamentary inspection of the Defense Ministry, several
problems emerged in relation to the Korean army???s preparedness. For example,
there was difficulty with the transition to armored divisions, as armored
vehicles were not provided as scheduled; the Air Force largely reduced the
training period due to skyrocketing oil prices; and there are problems with the
military strength and training of the Korean Army in relation to its ability to
cope with the North???s long-range artillery should it launch an attack on a
major metropolitan area. In particular, it is common knowledge that our troops
will need more time beyond 2012 to prepare for a North Korea equipped with
nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, and the 100,000 soldiers of its
specialized forces.
In the joint communique, Gates pledged to provide supplementary military services
to Korea after the transfer of wartime control. The document also underlined
provisions for ???extended deterrence??? against the North???s nuclear
capability. The agreement affirms the existence of problems with Korea???s
defense capability. The U.S.???s security pledge should be evaluated from this
perspective. However, it is our view that the buildup of an efficient defense
capability under the unified command structure of the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces
Command cannot be replaced by this public commitment.
Korea and the U.S. confronted several thorny security issues when they agreed on
the transfer of wartime control in 2006. We think that it was the major reason
that such a rough-and-ready agreement was made without an in-depth appraisal of
the mid- to long-term military capabilities of the Korean army. April 2012 is too
soon to realize the transfer of wartime control.
(END)