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| Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo shakes hands with acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan at the beginning of the ROK-U.S. bilateral defense talks held at the ministry compound in Yongsan, Seoul, Monday. The transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) and the relocation of the ROK-US Combined Forces Command (CFC) topped the meeting's agenda. Yonhap |
CFC to be moved to Camp Humphreys
By Jung Da-min, Joint Press Corps
Seoul and Washington agreed Monday to name a South Korean four-star general to lead the combined forces command (CFC) here, according to the defense ministry.
They also agreed to relocate the command's headquarters, now at the U.S. Forces Korea's Yongsan Garrison base in Seoul, to its Camp Humpheys base in Pyeongtaek, citing operational efficiency.
The agreements were reached between Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo and his counterpart acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan in Seoul.
Shanahan later visited President Moon Jae-in at Cheong Wa Dae for talks on the alliance and issues regarding North Korea's denuclearization, weeks ahead of a summit between Moon and U.S. President Donald Trump scheduled for the end of June.
During the meeting at the presidential office, Moon and Shanahan reaffirmed the principle that the international sanctions against North Korea should be kept in place until there was significant process in the denuclearization process.
"The ROK-US alliance is the most important thing in pursuing complete denuclearization and building a permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula," Moon said, adding that humanitarian aid to the North was also important while asking for cooperation on this from the U.S.
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| President Moon Jae-in shakes hands with acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap |
At the defense ministers' meeting, Shanahan and Jeong agreed on the early transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) of Korean forces to Seoul, and the relocation of the South Korea-U.S. CFC to Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, as opposed to the defense ministry compound in Yongsan, Seoul, which was discussed last year.
The two military leaders noted that significant progress had been made to meet the conditions for the wartime OPCON transfer from the U.S. to South Korea and shared a positive outlook on the upcoming Initial Operative Capability (IOC) certification to verify the ROK military's capability to lead a combined defense, scheduled for the second half of the year.
"On behalf of the ROK Ministry of National Defense, I can say that while doing the IOC certification, we'll make sure that we use past practices for efficiency in terms of setting up the future Combined Forces Command," Jeong said at the beginning of the talks.
Jeong and Shanahan also approved the plan to name a four-star South Korean general as the new leader of the CFC, to take a separate role to lead in a combined defense, but not in assuming other duties, once the wartime OPCON transfer is completed. Currently a four-star U.S general heads the CFC.
The two had earlier discussed naming the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman or Ground Operations Command (GOC) chief to head the "new" CFC, taking a dual role. The defense ministry cited the burden the military leaders would feel in such case, as the reason not to do so.
Jeong and Shanahan assessed the new ROK-US joint military exercise 19-1 Dong Maeng conducted March in place of the annual larger-scale Key Resolve and Foal Eagle joint drills that usually take place in the first half of the year, as a great success that had supported diplomatic efforts for peace on the peninsula while ensuring a firm defensive readiness.
They confirmed the plan to end the U.S.-led Freedom Guardian exercise, which used to be held alongside the South Korean-led Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG) drill, in August, and replace it with a new joint exercise with details yet to be decided.
Shanahan also congratulated South Korea for successfully conducting its new independent civilian-military exercise Ulchi Taeguek without the U.S. last week, saying it was a positive sign that the two sides were moving rapidly to fulfill conditions for the transition of wartime OPCON.
"Exercises like this are critical in maintaining and sustaining our readiness against all crises," Shanahan said, while also confirming the U.S. commitment to the "iron-clad alliance," saying it was a linchpin for peace on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia.
The two also commented on the U.S. and South Korean militaries' assessment of the recent missile launches by North Korea, and vowed to keep working on diplomatic efforts to push for the complete denuclearization of the North as well as the overall security of the Korean Peninsula.
Shanahan said, "The only acceptable end-state is complete, verifiable denuclearization of the peninsula. Our alliance and the international community will not seek a lesser solution."
While Jeong pledged South Korea's commitment to fulfill the Comprehensive Military Agreement reached between the two Koreas at the third summit between President Moon Jae-in and North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un last year, Shanahan reiterated the international community's backing in implementing United Nations sanctions against the North, urging Pyongyang to comply with its international obligations.
