National power, “disastrous diplomatic and security accident” due to time difference between ROK-US wartime operational control (OPCON) (comprehensive)

“The Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Defense are low-level instigators trying to inflame anti-American sentiment… We cannot make a hasty transition.”

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Park Soo-yoon and Noh Seon-woong = On the 16th, the People Power Party strongly criticized the Ministry of National Defense and the ruling party over the exposure of differences between South Korea and the United States the day before regarding the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON), calling it a "disastrous diplomatic and security accident."

Senior floor spokesperson Kim Tae-gyu said in a commentary that day that Commander-in-Chief of U.S. Forces Korea Xavier Brunson mentioned changes in the conditions for OPCON transfer and the need for a 'new standard', saying, "Rather than reviewing the warning, the Lee Jae-myung administration and the Democratic Party poured out collective threats toward the allied commander."

Spokesperson Kim pointed out, "The Ministry of National Defense spokesperson said in an official briefing, 'If we keep moving the goalposts, the transfer of wartime operational control will never be possible,' and then walked away, saying it was a personal opinion. Rep. Lee Ki-heon of the Democratic Party of Korea attacked the commander of US forces in Korea, saying, 'South Korea is not an outpost of the United States.'"

He continued, “Insisting on the existing standards even though the threat from North Korea and the battlefield environment have changed is not protecting the goalposts, but manipulating the security scale to fit the regime’s timetable.”

Chief Spokesperson Park Chung-kwon commented, “The sad current state of our military is that it has not even been able to compensate for the breakdown of the military satellite, leaving a hole in the surveillance network,” and added, “The hasty transition that only puts a political timetable first without meeting security conditions is a self-harming act that only benefits the enemy.”

He said, “The Lee Jae-myung government should immediately stop its reckless speed war, restore trust in the ROK-US alliance and reorganize the national defense and security lines.”

Secretary-General Chung Hee-yong also pointed out at the National Assembly Audit Countermeasures Meeting held at the National Assembly on this day, "The failure to properly protest against North Korea's landmine provocation and the hasty transfer of wartime operational control despite differences in positions between South Korea and the United States only serves to increase public security anxiety."

Kim Mi-ae, senior vice-presidential representative for floor policy, also criticized the briefing of Ministry of National Defense Spokesperson Chung Bit-na the previous day at the meeting, saying, "Is the transfer of wartime operational control a trivial matter enough to reveal the spokesperson's personal beliefs? It was a very inappropriate and irresponsible statement that could damage trust in the ROK-US alliance."

He then asked, "Since the President called North Korea's land mine provocation an 'unforeseen accident' and mentioned subservient diplomacy, has even the Ministry of National Defense's spokesperson started to conform to the government's code?" and asked, "If Minister of National Defense Kang Shin-cheol truly values ​​the ROK-US alliance and has the will to restore trust in the alliance, he should fire Spokesperson Chung and severely reprimand him."

In addition, the People Power Party expressed concerns regarding the opening of the New Yalu River Bridge, which connects Sinuiju, North Korea, and Dandong, China, the previous day.

In a Facebook post, five-term lawmaker Na Kyung-won said, "As if mocking sanctions against North Korea, a land route and remittance highway to North Korea that are closely connected to North Korea, China, and Russia have been completed," and criticized, "But what is the Lee Jae-myung administration doing? China is building bridges, Russia is building roads, but our government is turning a blind eye."

Rep. Na said, "The regime's condonation and aid are not peace, but only an abandonment of security," and called for a strong, together with the international community, a 'secondary boycott' without exception against Chinese and Russian companies and financial institutions that violate sanctions and provide money and materials to the North Korean regime.