New defense chief stresses trust in push for OPCON transfer

New Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul said Tuesday in Seoul that he will push wartime operational control transfer in a way that strengthens the Korea-U.S. alliance and combined defense posture. He said trust between the two allies is more important than conditions and that the process will continue without wavering. Kang also said the allies have been coordinating his meetings with his U.S. counterpart and have so far proceeded without major disagreements. Separately, he said the military is keeping all possibilities open in the DMZ blast investigation and will respond based on the findings.

Kang said the allies have been proceeding without major disagreements while coordinating his communications and meetings with his U.S. counterpart.

He said the Full Operational Capability assessment is still under discussion between Seoul and Washington and did not commit to a timeline.

In his inaugural speech, Kang pledged defense reforms centered on a military capable of completing missions with greater emphasis on joint capabilities, training and stronger capabilities.

On Monday, three officers were injured in a suspected land mine explosion in the DMZ while troops were clearing a search route ahead of a planned United Nations Command inspection.

Kang said investigators have not determined whether the blast site matches areas suspected of North Korean mine-laying activities and have found no footage that clearly shows what happened.

Published Sep 22, 2026 4:02 pm KST

Kang calls on North Korea to halt border fortification following DMZ blast

New Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul delivers his inaugural address during a ceremony for his appointment at the Ministry of National Defense in Yongsan District, Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap

New Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul said Tuesday that he would push ahead with the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) based on trust between Korea and the United States, emphasizing that the process should strengthen their alliance and combined defense posture.

“OPCON transfer will move in a direction that strengthens the Korea-U.S. alliance,” Kang told reporters at the Ministry of National Defense in Seoul shortly after officially beginning his duties.

He noted that successive Korean administrations and the two allies have worked toward the transfer for years, while acknowledging that the process cannot be driven by Seoul alone.

Because an alliance involves two sides, Kang said, the process may not always proceed exactly as one side wants, making mutual trust particularly important.

“In some ways, I believe trust is even more important than the conditions,” he said, pledging to pursue the transfer “without wavering” in a way that preserves trust.

Kang also rejected the notion that the transfer would weaken the allies’ combined defense posture. Drawing on his experience at the Combined Forces Command, he said Korean officers already take the lead in exercises, planning and other key areas of combined operations.

He argued that a structure in which Korean commanders take the lead, backed by the U.S. military, would make the combined defense system “much stronger.”

Kang said Seoul and Washington are coordinating his communications and meetings with his U.S. counterpart. While cautioning against predicting the outcome of future consultations, including the allies’ Security Consultative Meeting, he said the two sides have so far been proceeding “without major disagreements.”

Asked whether the Full Operational Capability assessment could be completed this year, Kang said the matter was still under discussion between the allies, without committing to a timeline.

In his inaugural speech earlier in the day, Kang pledged defense reforms aimed at building a military capable of completing missions, with a greater emphasis on joint capabilities, training and stronger capabilities.

“Victory will become our strategy, and victory will become our policy,” he said. “Defense reform for victory will unfold.”

A Surion helicopter flies over the southern limit line of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) along the western front in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday. Military authorities are investigating the cause of a suspected land mine explosion in the nearby DMZ the previous day that left Army personnel seriously injured. Yonhap

Kang also addressed Monday’s suspected land mine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), saying the military will keep all possibilities open until it determines what caused the blast.

Three officers were injured while troops were clearing a search route ahead of a planned United Nations Command inspection of an area near the Military Demarcation Line where terrain changes linked to North Korean activity had been detected. Two were seriously injured, but their injuries were not life-threatening.

Kang said the incident was the first matter reported to him after taking office. He said investigators have yet to determine whether the blast site corresponds with areas suspected of North Korean mine-laying activities and noted that no footage has been found that clearly shows what happened.

“We are not ruling out any possibility,” Kang said. “We need solid evidence. We need to be certain before we say anything.”

He said investigators must establish whether the explosive was a South Korean or North Korean mine and whether it had been planted deliberately or had ended up in the area accidentally before deciding on any response.

Kang was more unequivocal about North Korea’s ongoing efforts to fortify its side of the border.

“The border fortification must stop,” he said, adding that the military will take necessary measures depending on the findings of its investigation.

新任国防部长姜信哲周二在首尔表示，他将以加强韩美同盟和联合防御态势的方式推进战时作战指挥权移交。他表示，两国盟友之间的信任比任何条件都重要，移交进程将坚定不移地继续进行。姜信哲还表示，韩美两国一直在协调他与美方对口官员的会晤，迄今为止进展顺利，没有出现重大分歧。此外，他还表示，军方对非军事区爆炸事件的调查保持开放态度，并将根据调查结果作出回应。

康表示，盟友之间一直保持着密切的沟通和会晤，没有出现重大分歧，他与美国对口官员也进行了协调。

他表示，首尔和华盛顿仍在讨论全面作战能力评估，并未承诺给出时间表。

康在就职演说中承诺，国防改革将以建设一支能够完成任务的军队为中心，更加注重联合作战能力、训练和增强作战能力。

周一，在联合国军司令部计划进行视察之前，部队在非军事区清理搜查路线时，疑似发生地雷爆炸，造成三名军官受伤。

康表示，调查人员尚未确定爆炸地点是否与朝鲜疑似布雷活动区域相符，也没有找到任何能清晰显示事件经过的影像资料。

发布于2026年9月22日下午4:02（韩国标准时间）

康呼吁朝鲜在非军事区爆炸后停止边境防御工事建设。

新任国防部长姜信哲周二在首尔龙山区国防部举行的就职典礼上发表就职演说。（韩联社）

新任国防部长康信哲周二表示，他将基于韩美之间的信任推进战时作战指挥权（OPCON）的移交，并强调这一进程应加强两国联盟和联合防御态势。

康在首尔国防部正式就职后不久告诉记者：“作战指挥权的移交将朝着加强韩美同盟的方向发展。”

他指出，历届韩国政府和两国盟友多年来一直在努力促成移交，同时也承认这一进程不能仅靠首尔一人之力推动。

康表示，由于联盟涉及双方，因此该过程可能不会总是完全按照一方的意愿进行，这使得相互信任尤为重要。

“在某种程度上，我认为信任甚至比条件更重要，”他说道，并承诺将“毫不动摇地”以维护信任的方式推进移交工作。

康还驳斥了此次人员调动会削弱盟军联合防御态势的说法。他以自己在联合部队司令部的经验为例，指出韩国军官已经在联合演习、计划制定和其他联合行动的关键领域发挥主导作用。

他认为，由韩国指挥官领导、美国军方支持的架构，将使联合防御体系“更加强大”。

康表示，首尔和华盛顿正在协调他与美国对口官员的沟通和会晤。他同时告诫不要预测未来磋商的结果，包括盟国安全磋商会议的结果，但他表示，迄今为止，双方的磋商“没有出现重大分歧”。

当被问及全面作战能力评估能否在今年完成时，康表示，此事仍在盟国之间讨论中，并未承诺给出时间表。

康在当天早些时候的就职演说中承诺进行国防改革，旨在建设一支能够完成任务的军队，更加注重联合作战能力、训练和增强作战能力。

“胜利将成为我们的战略，胜利将成为我们的政策，”他说。“为胜利而进行的国防改革将会展开。”

周二，一架“苏里翁”直升机飞越京畿道坡州市西部战线非军事区（DMZ）南界线。军方正在调查前一天附近非军事区发生的疑似地雷爆炸事件，该事件导致多名陆军人员重伤。（韩联社）

康还谈到了周一在非军事区发生的疑似地雷爆炸事件，称军方将对所有可能性保持开放态度，直到确定爆炸原因。

在联合国军司令部计划对军事分界线附近区域进行视察之前，部队正在清理一条搜索路线，三名军官在行动中受伤。此前，该区域的地形变化与朝鲜的活动有关。其中两人伤势严重，但没有生命危险。

康表示，这是他上任以来接到的第一起相关报告。他说，调查人员尚未确定爆炸地点是否与朝鲜疑似布雷区域相符，并指出目前尚未找到清晰显示事件经过的影像资料。

康表示：“我们不排除任何可能性。我们需要确凿的证据。在发表任何言论之前，我们必须确保万无一失。”

他说，调查人员必须先确定爆炸物是韩国地雷还是朝鲜地雷，以及它是故意放置的还是意外出现在该地区的，才能决定采取任何应对措施。

康对朝鲜持续加强其边境防御的努力则更加明确。

“边境防御工事的建设必须停止，”他说道，并补充说，军方将根据调查结果采取必要措施。