[2020 National Audit] Continued Tensions Between Ruling and Opposition Parties at Joint Chiefs of Staff Audit

Won In-cheol, the nominee for Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is wearing a mask properly while attending the confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly on the 18th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The ROK-US Combined Chiefs of Staff is scheduled to hold the 45th Military Committee Meeting (MCM) on the 13th to discuss major military issues including the wartime operational control transfer.

In the briefing materials for the National Defense Committee's audit held on the 8th, the Joint Chiefs of Staff disclosed the MCM schedule and main agenda, stating that this MCM, conducted via video conference, will discuss the security situation on the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia, a joint assessment of the combined defense posture, an evaluation of the progress in the conditional transfer of wartime operational control, and future plans.

The MCM refers to the annual high-level meeting between the two countries' militaries to provide strategic directives and operational guidelines for the defense of the Republic of Korea to the ROK-US Combined Forces Command commander. The outcomes discussed at the meeting will be reported at the 52nd Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) between South Korea and the United States, held in Washington D.C. on the afternoon of the 14th (early morning of the 15th Korean time).

Operational control (OPCON) will be transferred after evaluating three conditions: securing the ROK military's core military capabilities, securing capabilities to respond to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, and meeting a stable security environment on the Korean Peninsula and in the region that aligns with the OPCON transfer. The two countries plan to complete the evaluation of the ROK military's capabilities and the response capabilities to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats early. However, since the security situation on the Korean Peninsula inevitably involves subjective assessments, difficulties are expected.

On this day, Chairman Won In-chul of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in his opening remarks at the National Defense Committee audit, "Based on the strong ROK-US alliance, we are continuously expanding our military defense capabilities while actively promoting the transfer of wartime operational control to realize responsible defense," adding, "Despite these efforts, there are areas that remain insufficient due to overlooked points or various constraints."

At the Joint Chiefs of Staff audit session, the political confrontation between the ruling and opposition parties continued. The day before, the two sides clashed head-on over whether to summon witnesses related to the shooting incident of a Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official by North Korea and the allegations of preferential military leave for Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae's son at the Ministry of National Defense audit, but no conclusion was reached.

The People Power Party requested 10 general witnesses including Minister Choo and her son Mr. Seo, but the Democratic Party completely rejected this, so the audit proceeded without witnesses for the time being. The Democratic Party's position on the shooting incident is that the opposition party's indiscriminate disclosure of military intelligence caused security problems. The People Power Party argues that to approach the substantive truth of the shooting incident, even the deceased official's brother should be summoned for questioning.

Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the People Power Party and member of the National Defense Committee, said at the emergency committee meeting, "The Democratic Party is infringing on the public's right to know and paralyzing the audit by refusing to adopt witnesses and reference witnesses," adding, "The administration's failures and corruption allegations are overflowing, but they are undermining the legislature's fundamental audit function and encouraging a lackluster, ineffective audit."

Meanwhile, regarding the shooting incident of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official, simulation results showed that a person wearing a life jacket could drift north of the Northern Limit Line (NLL) due to ocean currents.

Member of the National Assembly Kwon Seong-dong of the People Power Party, belonging to the Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans and Fisheries Committee, expressed doubts about the government's announcement that the shot official voluntarily attempted to defect to the North, based on simulation results requested from the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology under the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. According to the same simulation, the government's drift prediction assumed the missing official started drifting at 2 a.m., but adjusting the time a few hours later significantly increases the possibility of drifting not only north of the NLL but also reaching the North Korean coast solely due to ocean currents.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.