(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Cheol-seon = Commander of U.S. Forces in Korea (UN Forces Command and ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command) Commander-in-Chief Xavier Brunson recently said, “Korea begins at the barbed wire south of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ),” which is being criticized as a statement that ignores the territorial sovereignty of the Republic of Korea.
The ruling party even demanded Commander Brunson's retraction of his remarks and a public apology, but as the controversy spread, the United Nations Command took steps to resolve the matter, saying, "There is no question about the sovereignty of the Republic of Korea."
According to the military on the 18th, the statement in question was made at a seminar at the U.S. think tank 'Gold Institute for International Strategic Studies' held in Washington, D.C. on the 14th.
Commander Brunson said, "If you look at the Military Demarcation Line (MDL), there is a barbed wire fence 2,500 meters to the north and 2,500 meters to the south (actually 2 km). There is an area here that I am responsible for managing, and we are discussing what sovereignty means."
Commander Brunson said, "Where does the Republic of Korea begin and end? From the perspective of the United Nations Command, the Republic of Korea begins at the southern barbed wire fence. Since I manage that zone (DMZ) to maintain a ceasefire, that is where the Republic of Korea begins."
The United Nations Command is an organization that supervises the implementation of the armistice agreement in the area south of the MDL during peacetime. It controls access to Korea's DMZ, conducts on-site inspections to confirm compliance with the armistice agreement, and investigates and determines violations of the armistice agreement.
Commander Brunson, who also serves as the commander of the United Nations Command, appears to have said, 'Korea starts south of the DMZ' because he has jurisdiction over the southern DMZ area.
In fact, controversy arose last year when it was revealed that the United Nations Command had denied Cardinal Yoo Heung-sik and former First Deputy Director of the National Security Office Kim Hyun-jong from entering the DMZ, and the ruling party is pushing a bill that would require the Korean government to exercise jurisdiction over entry into the DMZ for non-military purposes.
The ruling party criticized Commander Brunson's remarks as a claim that ignores the territorial sovereignty of the Republic of Korea.
Rep. Kim Byeong-ju of the Democratic Party of Korea, who is a special adviser to the president for national defense policy, said on Facebook the previous day, "This is a remark that crossed the line of infringing on the territorial sovereignty of the Republic of Korea."
At the same time, he said, “The perception of the UN commander who denies the territorial sovereignty of the Republic of Korea must be corrected,” and demanded, “Commander Brunson must immediately withdraw his remarks that violated sovereignty and apologize to the people of the Republic of Korea.”
Regarding Commander Brunson's remarks, the Ministry of National Defense said, "These are the personal views of the Commander of the UN Forces," and added, "The Ministry of National Defense's position on the territorial sovereignty of the Republic of Korea is firm."
He added, “The Ministry of National Defense will work closely to ensure that the exercise of South Korea’s sovereignty within the DMZ and the UNC’s management of the ceasefire are harmonious.”
As the controversy spread, the UNC began to resolve the matter, saying, “There is no question about the sovereignty of the Republic of Korea.”
The UNC explained, "Commander Brunson's remarks explained the responsibilities within the DMZ and Joint Security Area (JSA) given to the UN Command Commander in accordance with the Armistice Agreement. These responsibilities are of a military and administrative nature and are separate from the sovereignty of the Republic of Korea."
“We remain firmly committed to strengthening our alliance and defending the Republic of Korea and its people,” he added.
Recently, Commander Brunson has been making public external schedules every day, revealing his negative perception of the early transfer of wartime operational control that the current government is pursuing.
Commander Brunson said at a seminar on the 14th, “None of us can say that the conditions (for OPCON transfer) have not changed,” and “Because the conditions have changed and we have changed our plans, there is a new standard that we must adhere to.”
Regarding this, Jeong Bit-na, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, publicly expressed displeasure, saying, “If the goalposts continue to be moved, I think the transfer of wartime operational control will never be possible.”
Minister of National Defense Kang Shin-cheol announced during the National Assembly audit on the 15th that he had conveyed a protest to the U.S. regarding Commander Brunson's recent series of public remarks.
