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There was no concrete discussion on the timetable, an issue the two left to the Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) that U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will open in Washington in just about one month. It will hammer out a detailed roadmap on the issue.

The two allies remain at odds over the date, with Korea pressing for 2012 and the Pentagon for 2009. Rumsfeld’s position is firm, so chances are the date will end up being what the Pentagon wants, or at best a compromise of 2010 or 2011. However, sources here say Korean Defense Minister Yoon Kwan-ung is every bit as adamant in his feelings about 2012, so what the SCM will yield is still up in the air.

Some in the Defense Ministry, in view of the scope of opposition not just from retired generals but religious leaders, intellectuals, activists, former diplomats and high-ranking figures in the police, even observed that perhaps the best, least damaging solution would be agreement in the control transfer in principle but a failure to agree on a timeframe. Some veterans organizations say that if it is difficult all of a sudden to give up pushing for independent troop control because the discussions have been going on for a while now, at least the date should not decided at the SCM.

However, there are also those in the administration who say that the date for the turnover needs to be nailed down, even if it is by the U.S.’ deadline, so it is unsure just how much of the Defense Ministry’s stance will be carried through.

Even if there is no agreement on the timetable at the meeting, it is inevitable that the CFC will slip into a largely nominal existence. It has effectively been sentenced to death, and only the date for its execution needs to be decided. U.S. sources say one of the reasons Washington wants an early transfer is to fill up the resulting vacuum as soon as possible.

There is a chance that the U.S. will accommodate Korea and agree to 2012. Amid growing concern from all parts of Korean society about the idea, the Defense Ministry agreed to carry out an interim examination in 2010 -- two years before the deadline -- to see if Korea is ready. That seems to mean that if sole operational control is then thought to be difficult, the handover can be pushed back.

In the process, the overall state of security on the Korean peninsula, including the North Korean nuclear issue, will be an important factor. The ministry will push ahead with plans for taking over wartime control in 2012 through gradual preparations, including securing reconnaissance and surveillance capabilities, but unless concrete steps are taken, the security vacuum due to Korea’s lack in capacity and the unreliability of the U.S.’ promise to provide reinforcements will be difficult to avoid.

(englishnews@chosun.com )