Gen. Brunson cites 'new standards' in repeated challenges to transfer timeline; Seoul pushes back, with Defense Minister Kang saying transfer could happen now without issue

Newly appointed Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul greets Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander of US Forces Korea, at his inauguration ceremony at the Ministry of National Defense in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on Sept. 22. [Yonhap]
Newly appointed Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul greets Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander of US Forces Korea, at his inauguration ceremony at the Ministry of National Defense in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on Sept. 22. [Yonhap]

Tensions between South Korea and the United States over the transfer of wartime operational control are rising. Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander of US Forces Korea, cited a changed security environment and invoked "new standards," prompting Seoul to push back by reaffirming existing agreements.

Particularly notable is that Brunson appears to be driving the discord over the OPCON transfer largely on his own initiative.

At a Center for Strategic and International Studies forum in Washington on Tuesday (local time), Brunson said he would report military risks up the chain of command if the transfer proceeded before South Korea's capabilities were deemed sufficient. The following day, at an event hosted by the Gold Institute for International Strategy, he said he supported the transfer in principle but opposed violating the existing conditions. Citing North Korea's recent missile launches, he said, "The conditions have changed, and because we've changed our plans, there are new standards we need to meet."

In effect, Brunson endorsed the transfer while simultaneously raising the bar for the conditions required to carry it out.

Kim Jong-dae, a former Justice Party lawmaker, said on SNS that Brunson was "twisting" the OPCON transfer process. "The direction of the assessment must now be reversed," Kim said. "South Korea must take the lead in the OPCON transfer discussion."

The South Korean government also conveyed its objections at the official level.

Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul, appearing Thursday before the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee for a national audit of military courts, was asked whether the government should lodge a strong protest with the US side over Brunson's remarks. "We have already conveyed our position on that matter," Kang said.

Kang added that "there would be absolutely no problem" if the OPCON transfer were carried out now, and said the conditions for the transfer remained "unchanged."

Defense Ministry spokesperson Jeong Bit-na, speaking at a regular briefing the same day, offered a personal view: "If the goalposts keep moving, the OPCON transfer will never happen." The ministry said it maintains the principle that the transfer will proceed once the mutually agreed conditions between the two allies are met.

Some within and outside the military have raised the possibility that Brunson's remarks reflect an awareness of President Donald Trump's anti-political-correctness stance and are connected to Brunson's standing within the US military establishment.

Regardless of Brunson's individual circumstances, however, developing a more detailed OPCON transfer plan that accounts for the evolving security environment remains an unavoidable task.

The agreed conditions for the transfer are South Korea's ability to lead the combined defense, the alliance's capacity to respond to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, and a security environment conducive to a stable transition.

It is difficult to deny that the security landscape has shifted — North Korea has advanced its nuclear and missile capabilities, military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow has deepened, and drones have played an increasingly significant role in the war in Ukraine.


rimsclub@heraldcorp.com