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The Defense Ministry has essentially binned a fresh contingency plan -- dubbed OPLAN 5029 -- by the South Korean and U.S. military for eventualities in North Korea including natural disasters and the collapse of the regime, an official said Wednesday.
"We've concluded that OPLAN 5029 is inappropriate as a joint operational plan for the Korean and U.S. military because its contents are too sensitive, including possible infringement on our national sovereignty," a senior Defense Ministry official said Wednesday. "We've tentatively decided to suspend negotiations on the plan with the U.S. side, effectively scrapping OPLAN 5029."
U.S. consent is needed for the plan’s final demise because OPLAN 5029 was agreed on in 2003 by the defense authorities of the two countries, sources said.
The U.S. military reportedly finds Seoul’s plan to bin the joint operational plan "incomprehensible." The Defense Ministry plans to formally junk the plan this fall under an accord between the allies’ defense ministers. But the ministry reportedly wants to hold on to "Concept 5029" adopted in 1999, which formed the blueprint for the ill-fated plan.
Military sources say the plan should be supplemented rather than scrapped because a planned response is needed to counter contingencies in North Korea. They worry that the U.S. will go ahead and make its own contingency plans for North Korea if the plan is dumped.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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