'The old America is gone': OPCON transfer is Korea's answer to changing US, Moon Chung-in says
Korea's push to regain wartime operational control (OPCON) of its military is not just an attempt to reclaim military sovereignty, but a necessary response to a fundamental shift in the United States' foreign and security policy, according to Moon Chung-in, a former presidential special adviser. In an interview with The Korea Times on Tuesday, Moon, currently a professor emeritus at Yonsei…
South Korea's push for operational control of its military, known as OPCON transfer, is driven by a response to the changing nature of the United States' foreign and security policy, according to Moon Chung-in, a former presidential special adviser. Moon argues that President Lee Jae Myung's pursuit of OPCON transfer is in line with Washington's expectations that Seoul assume primary responsibility for its own defense.
The U.S. is evolving, but South Korea is still clinging to the old America, Moon said, pointing to former President Roh Moo-hyun's self-reliant defense agenda. With the U.S. demanding greater responsibility from Korea, Korean forces would take the lead in conventional defense against North Korea, while U.S. forces would provide complementary capabilities in areas where Seoul remains relatively weak.
Brief written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
