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The president in a congratulatory message for a ceremony marking the 28th anniversary of the Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command on Tuesday wrote, "The importance of security on the Korean Peninsula is highlighted by North Korea¡¯s test of a nuclear device and firing of missiles. Maintaining a joint Korea-U.S. defense posture based on the Korea-U.S. alliance in this situation is crucial." But in contrast to his upbeat tones, the ceremony itself had a melancholy air, like a shop being closed down.
Combined Forces Command was formed 28 years ago to fill a potential security vacuum on the Korean Peninsula from U.S. president Jimmy Carter's pledge to withdraw the U.S. Forces Korea. The two countries' defense ministers, at a Security Consultative Meeting in July that year, agreed to set up the CFC to boost the operational effectiveness of Korean defense before the pull-out of the first batch of American ground forces. The agreement was put into force in four months.
In the past 28 years the CFC has defended peace on the peninsula by deterring North Korea, equipped with a promptness and effectiveness unrivalled in the world. Under the CFC, South Korean forces conducted operations and training along with American troops to acquire world-class training in cutting-edge strategic concepts and weaponry.
On inauguration in 1978, operational control of South Korean troops and U.S. Forces Korea previously exercised by the head of UN Command was handed to the CFC commander, subject to strategic guidelines from the Korean and American presidents. In the guidelines, the presidents of the two countries set up directions for military strategy. The CFC commander, exercising operational control, runs specific operations based on these guidelines. The CFC, in other words, gave the Korean president a say in operational control of not only the Korean forces but also the USFK. It is because of all this that the world's military experts evaluated creation of the CFC as a military and diplomatic victory for South Korea.
Now we are going in the opposite direction. The president pushed through our sole exercise of operational control of Korean forces in the midst of a security crisis caused by North Korea's nuclear and missile tests, so the CFC will be dismantled in three to six years. As a consequence, South Korea has to beg for shelter under the American nuclear umbrella to cover its bare bottom against North Korea's nuclear bombs, despite importing U.S. weaponry worth hundreds and trillions of won. The chief executive says that is independent defense.
The president should have been frank about what he thinks. He should have sent a message saying, "The military balance between the two Koreas will not change despite the North Korean nuclear and missile tests. The dismantling of the CFC is a therefore a victory for our country's self-reliance.¡±
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