'The old America is gone': OPCON transfer is Korea's answer to changing US, Moon Chung-in says

The Korea Times reports that former presidential special adviser Moon Chung-in has stated that Korea's push for operational control (OPCON) of its military is a response to the changing foreign and security policy of the United States. Moon argues that President Lee Jae Myung's pursuit of OPCON transfer aligns with Washington's expectation that Seoul should assume primary responsibility for its own defense.

He believes that the U.S. is evolving, but South Korea is still clinging to the outdated concept of the "old America." Moon emphasizes that the U.S. is demanding that Korea take a larger share of its defense burden, and under this arrangement, Korean forces would lead conventional defense against North Korea while U.S. forces would provide complementary capabilities in areas where Seoul is 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.