(LEAD) S. Korea seeks to retake OPCON from U.S. under 'no added conditions' principle: defense minister nominee

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(ATTN: ADDS background in 5th para, Kang's responses regarding military academy plan in last 3 paras) By Kim Seung-yeon and Kim Hyun-soo

SEOUL, Sept. 11 (Yonhap) -- Defense Minister nominee Kang Shin-chul said Friday that South Korea is seeking to retake wartime operational control (OPCON) from the United States under a firm principle that there will be "no additional conditions" attached.

Kang made the remark in written responses submitted to a lawmaker ahead of his parliamentary confirmation hearing set for Wednesday. The retired four-star Army general, a former deputy commander of the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC), was nominated to lead the defense ministry late last month.

"I understand that the defense ministry has been pursuing bilateral consultations with the U.S. based on the principle of 'no additional conditions,'" he said in the document submitted to Rep. Yu Yong-weon of the main opposition People Power Party, obtained by Yonhap News Agency.

His response comes as Seoul is pushing to regain OPCON from Washington before the Lee Jae Myung administration's five-year term ends in 2030, or even as early as next year.

South Korea retook peacetime OPCON in 1994, but the U.S. retains wartime OPCON. The allies originally agreed in 2007 to transfer wartime OPCON by April 2012, but the handover has been repeatedly delayed as North Korea advanced its nuclear and missile programs.

The allies agreed to a "conditions-based" OPCON transition plan in October 2014, under which South Korea must lead the future combined command and secure key strike capabilities to counter North Korea's threats, while the regional security environment should be conducive to the OPCON handover.

In this file photo, Defense Minister nominee Kang Shin-chul answers reporters' questions during the first press availability since his nomination, at the Defense Convention Center in Yongsan, Seoul, on Sept. 3, 2026. (Yonhap)

However, the two sides face a widening divide over the OPCON transition timeline, amid indications that Washington and the U.S. military harbor reservations about accelerating OPCON transition.

In June, the U.S. Senate proposed a provision in the National Defense Authorization Act to require the U.S. defense secretary to provide regular reports to Congress on the OPCON transfer road map.

Gen. Xavier Brunson, the commander of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), has stressed that political expediency should not override military readiness in the OPCON transition process.

Kang dismissed concerns over the perceived gap between Seoul and Washington over the OPCON transfer timing.

"I have noted the gap is not significant," he said. "The two sides have consulted closely through high-level channels."

Once appointed, Kang said he will ensure thorough preparations to complete the "full operational capability (FOC)" certification of the future CFC at the key bilateral defense meeting later this year.

Seoul wants to complete the FOC certification, the second stage of verifying the combined forces, and announce the target year at the annual Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) between the defense chiefs of the allies this fall.

"I will work to ensure that the OPCON transition proceeds in a manner that further strengthens the alliance and the combined defense posture," he added.

Kang also expressed support for outgoing Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back's view that South Korea has sufficient defense capabilities to handle an immediate OPCON transfer.

"I concur," he said, in response to a question on whether he agreed with Ahn's statement that South Korea has no major issues defending itself even if OPCON were handed over tomorrow.

"However, mutual trust in the South Korea-U.S. alliance must be guaranteed," Kang noted.

Regarding the disagreement between Seoul and the U.N. Command (UNC) over the management and control of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, Kang called for "mutual efforts" to "strike a balance" between UNC authority and South Korea's sovereignty.

The UNC, which oversees the heavily fortified border under the Armistice Agreement that ended the 1950-53 Korean War, has raised objections to the Lee administration's move to gain access to parts of the southern DMZ for peace-building measures aimed at restoring inter-Korean ties.

Asked about Washington's growing focus on deterring China, while calling for Seoul to handle its own defense against North Korea, Kang said he will work with the U.S. to maintain a staunch joint defense posture for peace in the region.

Asked to identify South Korea's adversary, Kang named "the North Korean regime and its military."

"Any group that threatens South Korea's security, our people and property is an enemy," he said. "In that regard, the North Korean regime and its military, which explicitly label the South as their enemy and continue to pose military threats, including nuclear weapons, are our enemy."

On the government's push to merge the military academies of the Army, Air Force and Navy, Kang said the consolidation is essential to cultivate "shared capabilities" for national defense.

Asked whether the proposed integrated academy would help South Korea lead future combined forces following the OPCON transfer, Kang emphasized that the transition requires Seoul to possess independent capabilities in both operational command and military hardware.

"Establishing the unified academy will serve as the cornerstone for building the educational foundation to train officers with these command capabilities," Kang added.

elly@yna.co.kr (END)

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(LEAD) S. Korea seeks to retake OPCON from U.S. under 'no added conditions' principle: defense minister nominee

这将使谷歌能够向您展示与您的搜索匹配或相关的韩联社新闻文章

（注意：第五段补充背景信息，后三段补充康关于军事院校计划的回应）金承妍、金贤洙

首尔，9月11日（韩联社）——韩国国防部长提名人姜信哲周五表示，韩国正寻求从美国手中重新夺回战时作战指挥权（OPCON），并坚持“不附加任何额外条件”的坚定原则。

康在提交给国会议员的书面答复中发表了上述言论，该答复是在他周三接受国会确认听证会之前提交的。这位退役四星陆军上将，曾任韩美联合司令部副司令，于上月底被提名为国防部长。

据韩联社报道，他在提交给主要反对党国民力量党议员俞永元的文件中表示：“据我了解，国防部一直在‘不附加任何条件’的原则下与美国进行双边磋商。”

他的回应正值首尔方面努力争取在李在明政府五年任期于 2030 年结束之前，甚至最早在明年，从华盛顿手中夺回作战控制权之际。

韩国于1994年重新获得和平时期作战指挥权，但美国仍保留战时作战指挥权。盟国最初于2007年达成协议，将于2012年4月前移交战时作战指挥权，但由于朝鲜推进其核武器和导弹计划，移交工作一再推迟。

2014 年 10 月，盟军同意了一项“基于条件的”作战指挥权移交计划，根据该计划，韩国必须领导未来的联合司令部，并确保关键打击能力以应对朝鲜的威胁，同时地区安全环境应有利于作战指挥权的移交。

这张资料照片显示，国防部长提名人姜信哲于2026年9月3日在首尔龙山国防会议中心举行的提名后首次记者招待会上回答记者提问。（韩联社）

然而，双方在作战指挥权过渡时间表问题上存在越来越大的分歧，有迹象表明，华盛顿和美国军方对加快作战指挥权过渡持保留意见。

今年 6 月，美国参议院在《国防授权法案》中提出一项条款，要求美国国防部长定期向国会提交作战指挥权移交路线图的报告。

驻韩美军司令泽维尔·布伦森将军强调，在作战指挥权交接过程中，政治权宜之计不应凌驾于军事战备之上。

康对首尔和华盛顿在作战指挥权移交时间上存在分歧的担忧不以为然。

他说：“我注意到双方差距并不大。双方已通过高层渠道密切磋商。”

康表示，一旦被任命，他将确保为未来的联合作战司令部（CFC）在今年晚些时候举行的重要双边防务会议上完成“全面作战能力（FOC）”认证做好充分准备。

首尔希望完成联合作战能力（FOC）认证，这是联合部队核查的第二阶段，并在今年秋季盟国国防部长年度安全磋商会议（SCM）上宣布目标年份。

“我将努力确保作战指挥权的交接以进一步加强联盟和联合防御态势的方式进行，”他补充道。

康也表示支持即将卸任的国防部长安圭培的观点，即韩国拥有足够的国防能力来应对立即的作战指挥权移交。

当被问及是否同意安的说法，即即使明天作战指挥权移交给他人，韩国在自卫方面也没有重大问题时，他回答说：“我同意。”

“但是，韩美同盟内部的互信必须得到保障，”康指出。

关于首尔与联合国军司令部（UNC）在分隔朝韩的非军事区（DMZ）的管理和控制方面存在分歧，康呼吁双方“共同努力”，在联合国军司令部的权力与韩国的主权之间“寻求平衡”。

根据结束 1950-53 年朝鲜战争的停战协定，负责监管戒备森严的边界的联合国军委员会对李光耀政府为恢复朝韩关系而进入南部非军事区部分地区实施和平建设措施的举措表示反对。

当被问及华盛顿日益重视遏制中国，同时呼吁首尔自行应对朝鲜威胁时，康表示，他将与美国合作，保持坚定的联合防御姿态，以维护地区和平。

当被问及韩国的敌人是谁时，康表示“是朝鲜政权及其军队”。

他说：“任何威胁韩国安全、人民和财产的团体都是敌人。就此而言，朝鲜政权及其军队就是我们的敌人，他们明确将韩国视为敌人，并持续构成包括核武器在内的军事威胁。”

针对政府推动合并陆军、空军和海军军事院校的举措，康表示，这种整合对于培养国防“共享能力”至关重要。

当被问及拟议的综合学院是否能帮助韩国在作战指挥权移交后领导未来的联合部队时，康强调，这一过渡要求首尔在作战指挥和军事装备方面都拥有独立能力。

康补充说：“建立这所联合学院将成为构建教育基础的基石，以培养具备这些指挥能力的军官。”

elly@yna.co.kr（完）

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