Song reaffirms early takeover of OPCON

By Kim Rahn

Defense Minister Song Young-moo

Defense Minister Song Moo-young said Thursday that the United States will never go to war against North Korea without South Korea's consent.

He made the comment during a National Assembly audit of the defense ministry, which focused on U.S. President Donald Trump's rhetoric signaling military options against Pyongyang.

Asked by independent lawmaker Lee Jung-hyun if it was possible for the U.S. to wage a war against the North without South Korea, Song said, "The U.S. will never stage a war unilaterally without South Korea."

Trump said Saturday that negotiations with Pyongyang to end its nuclear programs have not worked for decades, adding "only one thing will work," suggesting a military option. The Kim Jong-un regime has also intensified its nuclear and missile ambitions, threatening to strike the U.S. territory of Guam.


Early OPCON transfer

Song also reaffirmed President Moon Jae-in's pledge to take back wartime operational control (OPCON) of South Korean forces from the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) as soon as possible.

"Having the control will provide the momentum needed to advance South Korea's military capabilities," he said. "We'll have the South Korean military equipped with our own defense capabilities and develop the South Korea-U.S. alliance further."

The minister said South Korea and the U.S. had prior consultation over the U.S. Air Force's flying of B-1B bombers north of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in late September, dismissing speculation that Seoul was unaware of the operation and excluded from Washington's show of force against Pyongyang. "I and the U.S. defense secretary had a phone call (for the operation)," Song said.

When asked whether North Korea has enough technology and ability to deploy nuclear weapons, Song said he believes its technology has not reached that level yet.


NK for Paralympics

In the meantime, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said North Korea has submitted an application to participate in the PyeongChang Paralympic Games to the International Paralympic Committee.

The Moon government has encouraged the North to take part in the Winter Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games to be held in the Gangwon provincial city in February, saying its participation will relieve military tension on the peninsula and signal peace and dialogue.

But the North has not shown any interest, giving a negative response to the idea so far.

"North Korea qualified for pair skating, and we are seeking cooperation with the International Olympic Committee to encourage the North to participate more in the event," Kang said. "Whether it is athletes or cheering squads, I hope for more North Korean participation."

Kang said the government is almost in the final stage of drafting a resolution for an Olympic truce. Seoul submitted a draft of the resolution, which seeks a truce in all troubled parts of the world during the Olympic period _ a move to ensure security amid concerns from the international community over tension on the peninsula.

"We are fine-tuning phrases to focus on peace. We expect the resolution to be adopted in the middle of November, and are planning huge promotional events for the PyeongChang games in tandem with the adoption," she said.

Asked about the agreement the former Park Geun-hye administration struck with the Japanese government on wartime sex slaves in December 2015, Kang said it was something the South Korean people cannot accept.

"All the process toward the agreement and its content were an outcome that the people cannot accept. That's why we are closely looking into it after establishing a task force," she said.

Asked whether the then presidential office orchestrated the agreement with the exclusion of the foreign ministry, Kang declined to comment.