President Lee Jae Myung's office moved to clarify the administration's position on wartime control of the country's military Tuesday, after the nominee for defense chief, Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Ahn Gyu-back, painted taking full charge of operational control as a key goal.
Speaking at a National Assembly hearing on his nomination as defense minister, Ahn said retrieving wartime operational control of the South Korean military from the US-led combined forces was a goal of the Lee administration.
"We are aiming to complete the transition (of wartime OPCON) within the Lee administration's term of office," Ahn said in response to a question by People Power Party Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun.
The presidential office said however the idea of wartime OPCON transfer within Lee's term office of five years was Ahn's "personal view," and that no deadline has been set.
Asked about the projected increase in defense spending once South Korea took full charge of wartime OPCON, Ahn replied, "It depends on the study, but I think it's around 21 trillion won."
Reclaiming wartime control of the Korean military, a longtime Democratic Party agenda, was one of Lee's policy pledges as a presidential candidate, although he did not provide a specific timeline on when that might be achieved.
Former President Moon Jae-in of the Democratic Party had also sought to retake wartime control authority under the pretext of reducing Korea's reliance on the US for self-defense.
At the hearing, Ahn drew the line on South Korea possibly developing nuclear latent capabilities. Nuclear latency is a state of having the technology and infrastructure necessary to build a nuclear weapon without necessarily owning one.
Ahn also said that Seoul should always keep a wary eye on Pyongyang.
"North Korea hasn't changed since the Korean War. We must always view the North with a question mark in mind, regardless of which administration is in power, but also remember that they are our fellow countrymen," he said.
Ahn's remarks on Tuesday build on his interview with The Korea Herald on April 24, when he was chief special adviser to then-presidential runner Lee and already widely speculated to be his top choice for defense chief.
In the interview, Ahn said that he believes South Korea should have full control of its military in peacetime and during war. Depending on the US for the country's own defense was turning South Korea's armed forces into a "mommy's boy," he said.
Ahn also said in the interview that South Korea's falling out of the Non-Proliferation Treaty to cultivate nuclear capabilities was "not an option."
arin@heraldcorp.com
