Foreign Minister Cho Hyun says wartime operational control transition 'will proceed in the direction our government wants'
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said at a National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee audit on the 27th that, regarding the transition of wartime operational control (the authority determining who commands South Korean forces in the event of war), "differences in position are narrowing through negotiations, and I believe it will proceed in the direction our government wants." Asked by independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon whether Seoul would push ahead with the OPCON transition schedule even without U.S. agreement, Cho replied, "I believe they will agree," adding, "We will negotiate with that resolve and obtain their agreement." He went on to emphasize, "There is virtually no difference in position between Seoul and Washington on the OPCON transition." When asked whether the transition would be pursued at the cost of a reduction or withdrawal of U.S. Forces Korea, he answered, "Certainly not the latter," confirming that his position presumes the continued presence of U.S. forces in Korea.
Responding to a question from People Power Party lawmaker Song Seok-jun, Cho explained that he had discussed the OPCON issue during his recent meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and during talks with U.S. Deputy Secretary of War Elbridge Colby on a visit to Washington, D.C. Asked whether the conditions for the OPCON transition had been met, he answered, "Our military authorities believe so and are pushing to have operational control returned."
Asked by People Power Party lawmaker Kim Geon whether restrictions on South Korea-U.S. intelligence sharing on North Korea had been lifted, Cho avoided a direct answer, saying, "I understand the intelligence agencies are consulting well with each other." He explained that when the restrictions were lifted is classified information. When People Power Party lawmaker Kwon Young-se asked whether a visit by the National Intelligence Service to the United States had been denied, Cho said, "It was not a denial of the visit; we understand there were various misunderstandings." He said he had been told the visit did not take place due to several reasons, including the reassignment of a CIA director-level official and the war.
The delayed issuance of U.S. visas, raised by Democratic Party lawmaker Chung Chung-rae, was also addressed. Chung had failed to travel to the United States after his visa was delayed ahead of an audit of the South Korean Embassy in Washington. When Democratic Party lawmaker Hong Ki-won pointed out that senior U.S. State Department officials may not be aware of the issue, Cho said, "I am scheduled to go to the United States the day after tomorrow to meet with Secretary Rubio," adding, "I will raise the issue then as well." He said he had raised the matter directly with the U.S. Embassy in Seoul on the 8th.
On the U.S. visa measures, Cho said, "The visa-related measures are somewhat messy," noting, "The U.S. side says it does not know why it happened and cannot do anything about it." He went on to criticize, "Looking at the behavior of ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and others, much of it defies common sense," pointing out that "the U.S. government lacks policy consistency and sometimes creates confusing situations." He added that this made it all the more important to maintain close communication with the United States at all levels to keep the South Korea-U.S. alliance from being shaken.
