New ROK Defense Minister Lee Sang-hee and USFK Commander General Burwell Bell review troops in Yongsan.
Here is the best news of the week so far:
The scheduled transfer of wartime operational control of South Korean troops back to South Korea from the United States is not an option that can be renegotiated, but a must-do for the enhancement of the alliance between the two nations, Defense Minister Lee Sang-hee said Wednesday.
The remarks from the new conservative administration’s first defense chief come amid concerns that the combined defense capabilities of South Korean and U.S. troops here could significantly deteriorate following the 2012 transfer of wartime operational control, often called OPCON. [Yonhap]
There has been plenty of talk about delaying the operational control handover by the new Korean government, so it is good to see that the Korean Defense Minister has put the speculation to rest. However, the Defense Minister did not clarify if the Korean government still intended to delay the relocation of the 2nd Infantry Division or try to halt the planned reduction of US troops on the peninsula.
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11:15 pm on March 27th, 2008 1
The proof will be in what they do in the next year. It is not a good sign when they fired two ROK admirals who were actively involved in turnover negotiations last week. One of whom is a hell of guy and what the ROK Navy needs. So what does that tell you about rhetoric vs reality?