[Comprehensive] ROK-US Defense: "ROK-US-Japan Crucial in Responding to North Korean Nuclear and Missile Threats"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] On the afternoon of the 17th, Defense Minister Seo Wook and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin reaffirmed their alliance to counter China and North Korea during the ROK-U.S. Defense Ministers' Meeting held at the Ministry of National Defense building in Yongsan, Seoul. However, it is assessed that they did not reach a complete agreement on the transfer of wartime operational control.

In his opening remarks at the meeting, Secretary Austin stated, "Our commitment to the ROK-U.S. alliance, which has been solid for over 70 years, remains ironclad," adding, "The ROK-U.S. alliance is the linchpin of peace, security, and prosperity in Northeast Asia, the free and open Indo-Pacific region, and the world."

Minister Seo also emphasized, "The cooperative system between the two countries is stronger than ever and will continue to be reinforced," and added, "We will further solidify our cohesion as a military alliance going forward."

However, when announcing the results of the meeting, the ROK and U.S. stated that they "reconfirmed the plan for the transfer of wartime operational control based on conditions." It is known that the Korean side hoped to include the phrase "accelerating the transfer of wartime operational control" in the meeting's press release, but this was not realized.

In particular, there was reportedly no discussion regarding the verification of Full Operational Capability (FOC) of the future Combined Forces Command for the transfer of wartime operational control, which was planned to be conducted in the second half of the year. The FOC verification was scheduled to take place during the first half Combined Command Post Exercise ending on the 19th, but it could not be conducted due to the COVID-19 situation.

The ROK and U.S. reaffirmed their alliance to counter China and North Korea. During the meeting, the U.S. side first raised the issue of ROK-U.S.-Japan security cooperation.

A Ministry of National Defense official explained, "Secretary Austin emphasized that Northeast Asia, the Korean Peninsula surroundings, and the Indo-Pacific region face common threats, and to respond to these, the U.S. considers ROK-U.S.-Japan cooperation important through improved ROK-Japan relations." However, it is known that there was no mention of the Quad, the consultative body among the U.S., Japan, India, and Australia, which is part of trilateral security cooperation.

In this meeting, the ROK and U.S. did not comment on North Korean Workers' Party Vice Director Kim Yo-jong’s statement from the previous day criticizing the first half Combined Command Post Exercise. A Ministry of National Defense official said, "There was no special mention regarding Kim Yo-jong’s statement."

Earlier, Vice Director Kim, in her statement, rebuffed by saying, "The warm spring days from three years ago will not easily return," and issued a brief warning aimed at the Biden administration, saying, "It would be better not to create sleepless troubles."

Additionally, the U.S. side reportedly raised issues concerning the improvement of living conditions for soldiers at the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) base in Seongju, Gyeongbuk, and the guarantee of training conditions such as the Apache helicopter firing range for U.S. Forces Korea.

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