U.S. expresses 'understanding' of S. Korea's unease over USFK commander's remarks: source消息人士称，美国对韩国就驻韩美军指挥官言论所表达的不安表示“理解”。
SEOUL, Oct. 19 (Yonhap) -- The United States has expressed an "understanding" of...
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SEOUL, Oct. 19 (Yonhap) -- The United States has expressed an "understanding" of South Korea's pushback against the top U.S. military commander's recent remarks about the inter-Korean border and Seoul's move to retake wartime operational control (OPCON) from Washington, a source said Monday.
Seoul has voiced protest after U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson described the southern fence line along the border with North Korea, formed under the armistice following the 1950-53 Korean War, as where South Korean territory begins.
His comments drew ire from Seoul, particularly from the political circles that have denounced the commander for infringing upon South Korea's sovereignty. Under the South Korean Constitution, the country defines the entire Korean Peninsula and adjacent islands as its territory.
Lawmakers have demanded Brunson retract his remarks and apologize to the Korean public.
U.S. Forces Korea Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson delivers a keynote speech at the annual Indo-Pacific Summit hosted by the Gold Institute for International Strategy in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 14, 2026. (Yonhap)
Speaking at the same forum in Washington on Wednesday (local time), Brunson also pointed to a set of "new standards" for the OPCON transfer that the allies must uphold, stressing that "conditions have changed" for Seoul to retake wartime OPCON from Washington, citing North Korea's advancing military capabilities.
The allies have shown disagreements over the timing of the OPCON transfer. Seoul wants to take back OPCON as early as next year, while Washington remains reserved about rushing the process for political considerations.
South Korea has expressed its position regarding Brunson's overall public remarks and received a response from Washington that it fully recognizes and shares Seoul's understanding on the matter, a source said on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.
The source added that the two sides have communicated through various channels regarding the commander's remarks.
A USFK official told Yonhap News Agency that the conditions he referred to did not mean the set of conditions from the bilaterally agreed upon OPCON transition plan, but rather changes in the security environment reshaped by the North's weapons development and its combat experience in the Russia-Ukraine war.
Brunson also doubles as the commander of the United Nations Command (UNC), which administers the enforcement of the armistice agreement that halted the three-year conflict, including the management of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), a buffer zone that sits about 2 kilometers south and north of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) bisecting the two Koreas.
Seoul's defense ministry has said it views his remarks about the fence line as his "personal opinion," emphasizing the government's firm stance on territorial sovereignty.
The ministry reaffirmed its continued efforts to closely work with the UNC to ensure that the exercise of national sovereignty within the DMZ and the UNC's armistice management remain "in harmony."
Apparently mindful of the growing criticism, the UNC issued a statement on Sunday, saying that Brunson was describing his responsibilities as the UNC commander to oversee military and civilian administration as well as civil relief on the southern side of the DMZ.
"The Republic of Korea's sovereignty is not in question," it said, referring to South Korea by its official name. "Those responsibilities are military and administrative; they do not alter, and were not intended to address, the sovereignty of the Republic of Korea,"
"We remain committed to strengthening the Alliance and to the defense of the Republic of Korea and its people," it added.
elly@yna.co.kr (END)
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Defense minister says S. Korea conveys concerns over USFK chief's OPCON remarks
S. Korea says conditions-based OPCON transfer 'never' possible if conditions keep changing
USFK chief says 'conditions have changed' while stressing requirements for OPCON transfer to S. Korea
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U.S. expresses 'understanding' of S. Korea's unease over USFK commander's remarks: source
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首尔，10月19日（韩联社）——一位消息人士周一表示，美国对韩国反对美国最高军事指挥官最近关于朝韩边界的言论以及首尔从华盛顿手中夺回战时作战指挥权（OPCON）的举动表示“理解”。
驻韩美军司令泽维尔·布伦森将军将朝鲜战争后，首尔方面对此表示抗议。布伦森将军将朝鲜战争停战后根据停战协定建立的朝韩边界南部围栏线描述为韩国领土的起点。
他的言论激怒了首尔方面，尤其是政界人士，他们谴责这位指挥官侵犯了韩国主权。根据韩国宪法，韩国的领土范围包括整个朝鲜半岛及其周边岛屿。
议员们要求布伦森收回他的言论，并向韩国公众道歉。
2026年10月14日，驻韩美军司令泽维尔·布伦森将军在华盛顿特区举行的由戈尔德国际战略研究所主办的年度印太峰会上发表主旨演讲。（韩联社）
布伦森周三（当地时间）在华盛顿的同一论坛上发表讲话时，还指出盟军必须遵守一套“新的作战指挥权移交标准”，并强调首尔从华盛顿手中重新夺回战时作战指挥权的“条件已经发生了变化”，他以朝鲜不断增强的军事能力为例。
盟国在作战指挥权移交的时间问题上存在分歧。首尔希望最早在明年收回作战指挥权，而华盛顿出于政治考量，对仓促推进这一进程持保留态度。
一位因问题敏感性而要求匿名的消息人士称，韩国已就布伦森的公开言论表明立场，并已收到华盛顿方面的回应，即华盛顿完全理解并认同首尔对此事的理解。
消息人士补充说，双方已通过各种渠道就该指挥官的言论进行了沟通。
一名驻韩美军官员告诉韩联社，他所指的条件并非指双方商定的作战指挥权过渡计划中的条件，而是指朝鲜武器发展及其在俄乌战争中的作战经验所重塑的安全环境的变化。
布伦森同时兼任联合国军司令部（UNC）司令，负责执行结束三年冲突的停战协定，包括管理非军事区（DMZ），该缓冲区位于将朝鲜半岛一分为二的军事分界线（MDL）南北两侧约 2 公里处。
首尔国防部表示，他们认为他关于围栏的言论是他的“个人意见”，并强调政府在领土主权问题上的坚定立场。
该部重申将继续与联合国大会密切合作，以确保在非军事区内行使国家主权与联合国大会的停战管理保持“和谐一致”。
显然意识到批评之声日益高涨，联合国军于周日发表声明称，布伦森是在描述他作为联合国军指挥官的职责，即监督非军事区南部的军事和民事管理以及民事救济。
声明称，“大韩民国的主权毋庸置疑”，这里使用的是韩国的正式名称。“这些职责属于军事和行政范畴；它们不会改变大韩民国的主权，也并非旨在影响大韩民国的主权。”
声明还补充道：“我们将继续致力于加强同盟，保卫大韩民国及其人民。”
elly@yna.co.kr（完）
主要反对党抨击政府在作战指挥权移交问题上与美国存在分歧。
国防部长表示，韩国对驻韩美军作战指挥官的言论表示关切。
韩国方面表示，如果情况持续变化，基于条件的作战指挥权移交“永远”不可能。
驻韩美军司令表示“情况已经改变”，同时强调了将作战指挥权移交给韩国的必要条件。
（导语）驻韩美军司令呼吁在韩国各地开展更分散的军事演习，并援引乌克兰战争的教训。
消息人士称，美国对韩国就驻韩美军指挥官言论所表达的不安表示“理解”。