The ruling Democratic Party emphasized on October 17 that there has been no change in its fundamental stance that conditions for the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) must be met swiftly, following remarks by U.S. Forces Korea Commander Jay B. Brunson regarding changes in the conditions for the transfer.
Kim Sung-hwa, the party's floor spokesperson, stated during a press briefing at the National Assembly, "We will cooperate with the Ministry of National Defense to ensure that the conditions for the transfer are adequately met."
Earlier, on October 14, Brunson mentioned at a seminar hosted by the Gold International Strategy Institute in Washington, D.C., that "the conditions have changed, and our plans have been altered, leading to new standards that we must adhere to" regarding the transfer of OPCON.
Meanwhile, Kim Byung-joo, a presidential defense policy advisor, criticized Brunson's statement that "South Korea begins at the southern demarcation line from the perspective of the United Nations Command," calling it a "crossing of the line that infringes upon South Korea's territorial sovereignty."
In a Facebook post, Kim pointed out that the authority granted to the UN Command by the armistice agreement is limited to permissions for entering the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and civil administration, asserting that there is no authority to redefine the territorial sovereignty of the sovereign nation of South Korea. He urged Brunson to immediately retract his comments that infringe upon sovereignty and apologize to the people of South Korea.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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