“The United States is not negative about the transfer of wartime operational control...the issue is amplified by domestic political factors.”
“The U.S. raises issues with fair trade-related law enforcement… Security negotiations are suspended.”
“The visa issue for passport officials appears to be a separate issue… I don’t know the exact reason.”
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Lim Hyeong-seop and Seol Seung-eun = Blue House National Security Office Director Wi Sang-rak said on the 30th regarding discussions on wartime operational control transfer between Korea and the United States, "The defense ministers of the two countries will meet in Washington in December and hold the ROK-US Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) early next year," and added, "I think we can achieve practical results for wartime operational control transfer."
Director Wi said at a press conference at the Blue House on this day, "Our military has been equipped with the capabilities and foundation for the transfer of wartime operational control for over 20 years, and we completed the capability evaluation to verify FOC (Full Operational Capability) in this year's UFS (Ulchi Shield of Freedom) exercise."
At the same time, he evaluated, "At the recently held ROK-US defense ministers' meeting, both sides agreed to cooperate in the transfer of wartime operational control. In particular, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth also reaffirmed the United States' will for the transfer of wartime operational control."
As the SCM, which was usually held in the fall, was postponed until next year, some raised concerns that abnormal trends such as the transfer of wartime operational control may have had an impact, but the Blue House has drawn a line on this view.
A high-ranking Blue House official also said, "The United States is not negative about the transfer of exclusive power itself. The reason this issue is now considered a difficult issue is because of the talk coming out of the country. It is being amplified as if it is a more acute issue due to domestic political factors than it actually is, but we are trying to avoid this and reach a resolution through amicable consultations."
Meanwhile, this official emphasized that there are some difficulties, such as information restrictions between Korea and the United States, and that efforts should be made to resolve them.
He said, "It is true that there are some restrictions on information cooperation between Korea and the United States. There are problems that have emerged in investment-related discussions, and there are also problems related to companies," and "we are in the stage of seeking solutions."
Regarding 'corporate issues', he said, "Not only is there the Coupang issue, but there are issues across many companies, including Google and Apple. There are also some issues raised by the U.S. regarding enforcement of fair trade-related laws, so we are discussing them."
It appears to be a reference to the United States' concerns about the Online Platform Act and the False and Manipulated Information Eradication Act (amendment to the Information and Communications Network Act).
Regarding security negotiations, including on nuclear-powered submarines, this official said, "It was relatively smooth sailing after the ROK-US summit last year, but then stalled due to delays in investment in the US. There is also the issue of limited information and it is complicated," and added, "We are trying to resolve the discussions that are currently on hold."
However, this official said that the difficulties between Korea and the United States do not appear to be connected to the recent issue of visa issuance for ruling party figures, including Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Jeong Cheong-rae and Jin Seong-jun.
He said, "The United States says that visas are reviewed separately as visas. I don't know the exact reason why this result is obtained because they are not routinely informed."
