Response comes after President Lee Jae Myung calls for early return of operational control

"We will not prejudge the decisions or outcomes of this bilateral process"

The Pentagon [Yonhap]
The Pentagon [Yonhap]

The US Department of Defense has reaffirmed its position that the transfer of wartime operational control must be contingent on conditions mutually agreed upon by the United States and South Korea.

According to Voice of America on Tuesday, the Pentagon responded to a written VOA inquiry — regarding President Lee Jae Myung's remarks on the early return of operational control and related terminology, as well as USFK Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson's comments on changing conditions for the transfer — by stating that "the transfer of wartime operational control remains a conditions-based process agreed upon mutually by the United States and the Republic of Korea."

The Pentagon went on to say that "both nations continue to agree that the necessary conditions will be met before the transfer takes place," adding, "We will not prejudge the decisions or outcomes of this bilateral process."

The Pentagon did not clarify what specifically Brunson meant by a change in conditions for the transfer, nor did it confirm whether the existing transfer conditions or evaluation criteria had in fact been revised, VOA reported.

The response reaffirmed the Pentagon's longstanding principle that the transfer should be determined by the fulfillment of agreed conditions rather than a political timeline.

Earlier, President Lee met with reporters at Chunchugwan at Cheong Wa Dae on Monday and said of the operational control issue, "We must get it back swiftly. The consultations between South Korea and the US are basically moving in the direction of returning it." Lee made the remarks in response to a question about Brunson's comments referencing a change in conditions related to the transfer.


youknow@heraldcorp.com