Army Gen. Xavier Brunson testifies during an Armed Services hearing on Capitol Hill, Sept. 17, 2024, in Washington.AP/YONHAP
The United States has expressed an “understanding” of South Korea’s pushback against the top U.S. military commander’s recent remarks about the inter-Korean border and Seoul’s move to retake wartime operational control (Opcon) from Washington, a source said Monday.
Seoul has voiced protest after U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson described the southern fence line along the border with North Korea, formed under the armistice following the 1950-53 Korean War, as where South Korean territory begins.
His comments drew ire in Seoul, particularly from politicians who have denounced the commander for infringing on South Korea’s sovereignty. Under the South Korean Constitution, the country defines the entire Korean Peninsula and adjacent islands as its territory.
Lawmakers have demanded Brunson retract his remarks and apologize to the Korean public.
Speaking at the Annual Indo-Pacific Summit, hosted by the Gold Institute for International Strategy in Washington on Wednesday, Brunson also pointed to a set of “new standards” for the Opcon transfer that the allies must uphold, stressing that “conditions have changed” for Seoul to retake wartime Opcon from Washington, citing North Korea’s advancing military capabilities.
The allies have shown disagreements over the timing of the Opcon transfer. Seoul wants to take back Opcon as early as next year, while Washington remains reluctant to rush the process for what it sees as political reasons.
South Korea has expressed its position regarding Brunson’s overall public remarks and received a response from Washington that it fully recognizes and shares Seoul’s understanding on the matter, a source said on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.
The source added that the two sides have communicated through various channels regarding the commander’s remarks.
A USFK official told Yonhap News Agency that the conditions he referred to did not mean the set of conditions in the bilaterally agreed-upon Opcon transition plan, but rather changes in the security environment reshaped by North Korea’s weapons development and its combat experience in the Russia-Ukraine war.
Then-incoming commander Gen. Xavier Brunson, center, salutes during a change-of-command ceremony for the United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command, and the United States Forces Korea at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi, on Dec. 20, 2024.AP/YONHAP
Brunson also doubles as the commander of the United Nations Command (UNC), which administers the enforcement of the Armistice Agreement that halted the three-year conflict, including the management of the demilitarized zone (DMZ), a buffer zone that sits about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) south and north of the military demarcation line bisecting the two Koreas.
The Ministry of National Defense has said it views his remarks about the fence line as his “personal opinion,” emphasizing the government’s firm stance on territorial sovereignty.
The ministry reaffirmed its continued efforts to work closely with the UNC to ensure that the exercise of national sovereignty within the DMZ and the UNC’s armistice management remain “in harmony.”
Apparently mindful of the growing criticism, the UNC issued a statement on Sunday, saying that Brunson was describing his responsibilities as the UNC commander to oversee military and civilian administration as well as civil relief on the southern side of the DMZ.
“The Republic of Korea’s sovereignty is not in question,” it said, referring to South Korea by its official name. “Those responsibilities are military and administrative; they do not alter, and were not intended to address, the sovereignty of the Republic of Korea.”
“We remain committed to strengthening the alliance and to the defense of the Republic of Korea and its people,” it added.
