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Chun In-bum

Chun In-bum is the former commander of the Republic of Korea Army Special Warfare Command.

Chun In-bum

Uncomfortable lessons of Iran war

When wars end, most people ask a simple question: Who won? But the real question is: Who emerged stronger? The recent conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran offers a powerful reminder that military success and strategic success are not always the same thing. History is filled with examples where battlefield victories failed to produce the political outcomes for which wars were fought. From a military perspective, the United States and Israel achieved impressive results. Iranian nuclear facilities were damaged. Senior leaders and commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were eliminated. Critical military infrastructure was degraded. Iran's ability to project power suffered a significant setback. Measured in tactical terms, these were clear successes. But wars are not fought for tactical victories alone. As Carl von Clausewitz famously observed, war is a continuation of politics by other means. Military operations are instruments designed to achieve political objectives. The real question, therefore, is whether those political objectives were achieved and did th

2d agoBy Chun In-bum
Uncomfortable lessons of Iran war
Chun In-bum

From Epic Fury to the future: Korea advised to look beyond weapons exports

The opening hours of Operation Epic Fury may ultimately be remembered not for the number of targets struck, but for what they revealed about the changing nature of modern war. According to reports, U.S. and Israeli forces were able to identify, prioritize and engage a vast number of targets across Iran within an extraordinarily compressed timeline. The significance was not simply the use of advanced aircraft, precision-guided munitions or long-range strike capabilities. Modern militaries have possessed such platforms for decades. The more important development was the integration of artificial intelligence (AI), data fusion, cloud computing and decision-support systems into the operational process. For more than a century, military power was measured primarily in ships, tanks, aircraft and missiles. Epic Fury suggests that military advantage in the 21st century may increasingly be measured by something less visible: software, data and the speed of decision-making. This should be of particular interest to Korea. While Korean defense exports continue to achieve remarkable success around t

Jun 16, 2026By Chun In-bum
From Epic Fury to the future: Korea advised to look beyond weapons exports
Chun In-bum

Why Korea and Europe are ideal partners in defense industry

The war in Ukraine and the Middle East conflict has reminded the world of an old truth: Wars are not sustained by strategy alone. They are sustained by factories, supply chains, skilled workers, stockpiles, transport networks and political will. South Korea and Europe should take this lesson seriously. Industrial resilience has become a fashionable phrase, but the reality behind it is hard and unforgiving. Ukraine exposed ammunition shortages, long production lead times, fragile supply chains and dangerous single points of failure. These weaknesses affected not only Ukraine, but also Russia, Europe and the wider Western defense ecosystem. Modern war consumes equipment and munitions at rates that peacetime planning often fails to imagine. South Korea understands this problem. Koreans live beside one of the world’s most militarized threats. The country has built a strong defense industry and has become a serious supplier of tanks, artillery, aircraft, ships, missiles and ammunition. But Korea’s greatest vulnerability is not a lack of technology or industrial skill. It is concentration

May 14, 2026By Chun In-bum
Why Korea and Europe are ideal partners in defense industry
Chun In-bum

OPCON reality check: Ambition meets hard truths

The U.S. announcement of transferring Wartime Operational Control (OPCON) to the Republic of Korea by early 2029 has moved from quiet discussion to strategic signaling. When Gen. Xavier T. Brunson, commander of United States Forces Korea, referenced this timeline during testimony at the U.S. House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday (local time), it carried weight. This was not political rhetoric. It was a professional military assessment. But a timeline, even one acknowledged by a senior commander, is not a strategy. Confusing the two would be a serious mistake. The current framework governing OPCON transition remains the Conditions-Based OPCON Transition Plan (COT-P). It does not operate on deadlines. It operates on capability, readiness and the security environment. These conditions exist for one reason: War does not wait for political calendars. If 2029 is to be taken seriously, then Korea must treat it not as a target date, but as a test. At the center of this discussion is not sovereignty. Korea already possesses full sovereignty. The real issue is responsibility — specifically

Apr 24, 2026By Chun In-bum
OPCON reality check: Ambition meets hard truths
Chun In-bum

Alliance is not charity. It's strategy

For many Americans, especially in the Trump era, alliances are increasingly judged by one question: What does America get out of them? That is a fair question. The answer is that the alliances with South Korea and Japan are not acts of generosity. They are among the most cost-effective strategic investments the United States has anywhere in the world. The old language of “shared values” and “historic friendship” still matters, but it is no longer enough. If Seoul and Tokyo want to remain central to Washington’s strategy, they must frame the alliance not as something America should preserve for moral reasons, but as something that directly serves American interests. South Korea and Japan are not simply beneficiaries of American protection. They are forward operating platforms for American power in the Indo-Pacific. Without Japan, the United States would struggle to sustain naval and air operations across the Western Pacific. American bases in Japan allow rapid access to the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait and the Korean Peninsula. Without South Korea, the United States would f

Apr 20, 2026By Chun In-bum
Alliance is not charity. It's strategy
Chun In-bum

Wars must end quickly

There is an old military instinct that many civilians find uncomfortable but that every serious leader eventually learns: never start a fight you cannot finish. That principle is not about aggression. It is about responsibility. Too often, modern governments enter wars with vague objectives, political slogans or unrealistic hopes that limited pressure alone will somehow force the enemy to compromise. Leaders speak about “sending a message,” “showing resolve” or “managing escalation.” They promise quick operations without sacrifice, limited campaigns without consequences and moral clarity without hard choices. Reality does not work that way. War is not a seminar. It is not a social media campaign. It is not an academic exercise in signaling theory. Once it begins, war becomes a contest of endurance, destruction, logistics, political will and human suffering. The side that understands this earliest usually has the advantage. History repeatedly shows that prolonged wars are often the bloodiest wars. Not because they begin with massive violence, but because leaders hesitate, drift

Apr 19, 2026By Chun In-bum
Wars must end quickly
Chun In-bum

Seoul-Tokyo cooperation essential in Indo-Pacific

As conflict in the Middle East draws more of Washington’s resources and attention, the United States has partially removed defensive military assets from South Korea, including the terminal high-altitude area defense (THAAD) missile defense system that constitutes a major part of Seoul’s deterrence posture. While the U.S. and South Korea are treaty allies with a cast-iron commitment, President Lee Jae Myung must bolster partnerships with other likeminded nations that treat open sea lanes and international law as sacred. Lee has been active in this area, strengthening relationships with various nations. In just the last four months, he has met with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi of Japan and President Emmanuel Macron of France. However, under the banner of “pragmatic diplomacy” foreign policy, Lee also met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in January, seeking a “new phase” of ties. In the current geopolitical climate where international law is being increasingly ignored, South Korea must not forget its core security interests. This means pursuing closer ties with the U.S. and J

Apr 17, 2026By Chun In-bum
Seoul-Tokyo cooperation essential in Indo-Pacific
Chun In-bum

Korea’s strategic reality: Trust America, prepare for the future

The latest public opinion poll from the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, a Seoul-based think tank, shows that South Korea is becoming more realistic but not less anxious. The old assumptions that shaped South Korean foreign policy for decades are changing. Public views of Japan are improving. Trust in the United States remains strong, despite skepticism toward President Donald Trump. At the same time, South Koreans believe the country must prepare itself for a world that is more dangerous, less stable and less predictable. The clearest shift is seen in the South Korean public's attitude toward Japan. Japan’s favorability rating rose to 5.11 out of 10, the first time it has moved above the midpoint and the highest level ever recorded in the survey. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi was also the most favorably viewed foreign leader, ranking above Trump. That would have been hard to imagine a decade ago. It suggests that many South Koreans are increasingly willing to treat Japan not only as a historical problem, but as a present-day strategic partner. This does not mean historica

Apr 12, 2026By Chun In-bum
Korea’s strategic reality: Trust America, prepare for the future
Chun In-bum

Price of chaos: Why a swift resolution in the Middle East is in S. Korea’s best interest

As the conflict between the U.S., Israel and Iran enters its fifth week, the world watches with a mixture of fatigue and growing dread. What began as a sharp escalation has settled into a deceptive lull — a “lull” only by the standard of total war. In reality, intermittent American strikes continue, Israeli operations persist and Hezbollah’s barrage of rockets and drones remains far more frequent than Iran’s direct missile fire. We are standing on the precipice of a regional conflagration, and while rational actors seek to avoid a wider war, history teaches us that human folly is often the primary driver of international relations. For South Korea, this is not a distant desert skirmish. It is an existential economic and strategic concern. Roughly 60 to 70 percent of South Korea’s crude oil imports transit through the Strait of Hormuz, making the stability of that narrow waterway directly tied to our economic survival. South Korea’s export-driven economy is also highly dependent on secure maritime trade routes, not only for energy imports but also for the shipment of semic

Mar 30, 2026By Chun In-bum
Price of chaos: Why a swift resolution in the Middle East is in S. Korea’s best interest
Chun In-bum

Korea cannot afford to sit out Hormuz mission

The Strait of Hormuz is not a distant geopolitical concern for South Korea. It is a direct artery of national survival — economically, industrially and strategically. Approximately 60 percent of South Korea’s crude oil imports transit this narrow waterway. This is not an abstract vulnerability, it is a structural dependency. Any sustained disruption in Hormuz would immediately impact energy prices, industrial output and ultimately national stability. Despite this reality, South Korea’s posture toward the evolving situation in the Middle East remains cautious, even hesitant. That caution is understandable — but it is no longer sufficient. Iran, particularly through the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, has not limited itself to rhetoric. It has a documented history of interfering with maritime traffic in the strait. These actions include the seizure of commercial vessels, harassment of tankers and the use of drones and fast attack craft to signal coercive intent. While a full blockade of the strait is widely assessed by military analysts as extremely difficult— bordering on i

Mar 22, 2026By Chun In-bum
Korea cannot afford to sit out Hormuz mission
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