South Korea's Lee says Seoul must retake wartime command early, rebuffing US commander's new conditions

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said on Oct. 19 that Seoul must take back wartime operational control of its forces from the United States at an early date, offering an indirect rebuttal to the commander of US Forces Korea, Gen. Xavier Brunson, who has suggested the conditions for the handover have changed. The Korea Times reported that it was the first time Lee had spoken about the controversy over the general's remarks, although he did not name Brunson.

Lee made the comments while meeting reporters at the Chunchugwan press centre at Cheong Wa Dae, during a gathering that marked 500 days of his administration. According to the Korea Times, he said there could be various opinions and that he appreciated the goodwill behind the US position that it would hand over command once it had confirmed that South Korea could defend itself and run operations on its own. He added, however, that this was something South Korea should do for itself, and that it would work out. SBS reported that Lee also said relying on another country for wartime command was not a situation that could be left alone, and that talks between the two allies were fundamentally moving toward the transfer.

Seoul Economic Daily said Lee framed the transfer as a matter of military sovereignty, calling it one of the most essential parts of national sovereignty and something the country must recover quickly to meet the minimum requirements of a state. He cited South Korea's conventional military strength, which he described as fifth in the world, and said its defence budget was 1.5 times the size of North Korea's gross domestic product, while stressing the need to raise defence spending further. He acknowledged that North Korea has nuclear weapons, but characterised them as a last-resort defensive weapon that is not used in actual combat, and said South Korea can handle its own defence and should quickly fill any gaps.

The president was responding to comments Brunson made at a seminar last week. According to the Korea Times, the general said changes to operational plans driven by North Korea's improved missile capabilities had produced new criteria and conditions for the transfer, and that it should depend on South Korea's military capabilities rather than a fixed timetable. The paper said the remarks were widely read as a sign of possible delay. Seoul is aiming to complete the transfer by 2028, before Lee's term ends in 2030, while Brunson has pointed to the first quarter of 2029. South Korea's defence ministry had already voiced unease, saying a transfer would never happen if the conditions kept shifting.

SBS reported that the South Korean government had conveyed its concerns about the general's series of remarks to the US side through several channels, and that Washington was said to share those concerns. The broadcaster also said Army Chief of Staff Gen. Kim Gyu-ha told lawmakers at a parliamentary audit of army headquarters on Oct. 19 that he could not agree with a separate Brunson comment, made at an Oct. 14 seminar in Washington, that from the UN Command's perspective South Korea begins at the southern fence of the Demilitarized Zone. The defence ministry has called that remark the commander's personal view, and the UN Command has said it was describing armistice duties inside the zone and did not question South Korean sovereignty.

Lee also played down reports of friction between the two countries' intelligence services. Seoul Economic Daily said he described differences between states as natural and called the dispute a minor and entirely manageable difference. He warned against turning such gaps into domestic political attacks, saying the country is no longer what it was in the past and must take on a role that matches its expanded capabilities.