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A group of senior military experts including 13 former defense ministers have urged Defense Minister Yoon Kwang-ung to stop seeking the return of wartime operational control from the U.S. The meeting came at Yoon's invitation on Wednesday.
It is rare for the contents of such a meeting to be made public, especially when it focuses on a call to end a core government project.
The group included Lee Sang-hoon and other former defense ministers as well as retired Gen. Paik Sun-yup and former vice defense minister Lee Jung-rin. They said now is not the time to reclaim wartime operational control of troops but rather the moment to strengthen the Korea-U.S. alliance.
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Defense Minister Yoon Kwang-ung speaks at a luncheon meeting with former defense ministers at the Defense Hall in Yongsan, Seoul on Wednesday.
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They urged Yoon to stake his portfolio on calling on Cheong Wa Dae to delay the process, which is expected to result in the dissolution of Combined Forces Command. They said taking over wartime control ¡°would cause the collapse of the Korea-U.S. alliance,¡± making the issue more important than the National Security Law. They said this October's Security Consultative Meeting between the allies in Washington must not, as planned, draw up a roadmap for the handover.
Yoon promised to pass on their comments. He also commented on the question of a new bomber training range in Korea the U.S. has been demanding after the old facility was shut down after decades of local protests. ¡°Since the matter is unresolved, U.S. Forces Korea pilots are training in other countries,¡± Yoon was quoted as saying. ¡°We¡¯re working very hard to solve the matter." It was the first time a top Korean official has acknowledged time that U.S. Air Force pilots are compelled to leave Korea for training.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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