[Editorial] No Justification

Chairman of the National Defense Committee of the National Assembly Kim Sung-gon explained the reason that the government is pushing ahead with the recovery of wartime operational control at a gathering with Uri Party chairman Kim Geun-tae and members of the Korea Retired Generals and Admirals Association, saying, “It is also a matter of who reclaims North Korea when its regime collapses.” His remarks can be explained that it is favorable for Korea to gain operational control in the case of an emergency in dealing with and controlling North Korea. Such a remark makes a fool of the public.

Alumni associations of army, navy, or air force service academies openly oppose the transfer of wartime operational control due to security concerns, saying, “U.S.-Korea operational control is a guarantee against the potential war.” The Korea Institute for Defense Analysis suggested earlier this year that no one can choose when to recover the wartime operational control and the transfer should be done when conditions are mature.

It is appalling that the government does not care what the general public is worried about, but busies itself finding a pretext for the transfer in a future scenario.

Even if such a scenario turns out to be true, it is a hard fact that we have no grounds under the international laws that we can take the lead in dealing with such a situation. The constitution of the Republic of Korea says the territory of the Republic of Korea shall consist of the Korean peninsula and its adjacent islands.

However, because both South and North Korea joined the U.N. and technically North Korea has exercised its sovereignty, international law experts point out that the U.N. Security Council determines issues such as peace-keeping in the North Korean territory if something happens.

Even in regard to the jurisdiction of the Demilitarized Zone, we have no right whatsoever because signatories of the armistice, the U.N. and North Korea, have the right. Given that, Kim’s remark that the recovery of military control resolves all the problems is nothing but fooling the people. Korea and the U.S. stopped consultation on 5029, a contingency plan, due to differences as to whether Korea or the Combined Forces Command controls North Korean territory in case of internal turmoil in the North last January.

Chairman Kim should not have said that even if that is what he really thinks given that the four major parties such as the U.S., China, Russia, and Japan keep a close eye on Korea. That is why the government is often criticized for trying to take advantage of security concerns.