USFK commander criticized over remarks that appear to question South Korea's territorial sovereignty

U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson has come under fire from ruling party lawmakers over remarks that South Korea only begins at the southern boundary of the military demarcation line (MDL) with North Korea, sparking criticism that he had called into question Seoul's territorial sovereignty.

Brunson claimed that fences stand 2.5 kilometers (1.6 miles) north and south of the MDL — although the actual distance is 2 kilometers on each side — during a seminar hosted by the U.S. think tank Gold Institute for International Strategy in Washington on Wednesday. The MDL runs through the center of the demilitarized zone (DMZ), dividing it into northern and southern sections.

While noting that discussions continue over sovereignty and what it actually means, the general argued that, in the eyes of the United Nations Command, South Korea begins not at the MDL but at the Southern Limit Line, because the strip between the two lines is the area he oversees to uphold the armistice.

The remarks later drew criticism from progressive politicians who argued that Brunson's comments reflected a view that denies Seoul's sovereignty over the southern portion of the DMZ. Under South Korea's Constitution, the country's territory encompasses the entire Korean Peninsula and its adjacent islands.

"This contradicts our Constitution, which defines the territory of South Korea as the Korean Peninsula and its adjacent islands," said Rep. Jin Sung-joon of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), who chairs the National Assembly's National Defense Committee, in a social media post on Friday. "We cannot help but question how he perceives South Korea's territorial sovereignty over the DMZ."

Rep. Kim Byung-joo of the DP, a special presidential adviser on defense policy, also criticized Brunson's remarks about the "southern fence" on Saturday, calling it "a statement that crossed the line by infringing on South Korea's territorial sovereignty."

"Commander Gen. Brunson must immediately retract his remarks infringing on our sovereignty and apologize to the people of South Korea," Kim wrote on Facebook.

"The authority granted to the UNC under the Armistice Agreement is limited to authorizing access to the DMZ area and conducting civil administration," Kim said. "Nowhere does it have the authority to determine the territorial sovereignty of South Korea, a sovereign nation."

"The territory of South Korea cannot fall under the jurisdiction of any foreign power. It is our territory, over which South Korea exercises sovereignty," he added.

A UNC official, however, said there was no question about sovereignty.

“[Brunson’s remarks] were intended to explain the responsibilities assigned to the UNC commander within the DMZ and Joint Security Area under the Armistice Agreement," the official said.

Brunson previously stirred controversy by likening South Korea to a "dagger" aimed at China, thereby effectively reducing Seoul to a wartime tool to deter a larger force.

“When they look out from the east coast of China, what they see is there's [South] Korea, the dagger in the heart of Asia,” Brunson said on a U.S. Army War College podcast in May.

BY SHIM SEOK-YONG, KIM EUN-BIN [[email protected]]