U.S. confirms planned readjustment of military alliance with S. Korea

SEOUL, May 12 (Yonhap) -- The U.S. has reaffirmed that wartime operational control of South Korean troops will be transferred from Washington to Seoul in 2012 as planned, military officials in Seoul said Tuesday.

The latest confirmation was made during a recent visit to the United States by
the two highest commanders of the combined U.S.-South Korean forces, they said.
According to the Combined Forces Command (CFC) in Seoul, U.S. Commander Gen.
Walter Sharp and Deputy Commander Gen. Lee Sung-chool of South Korea visited
Washington from May 4-8. The two met with Gen. James Cartwright, vice chairman of
the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. David Petraeus, commander of U.S. forces in the
Middle East and Central Asia, and other high-ranking officials, the CFC said in a
release.
South Korea relinquished the wartime operational control to the U.S. at the onset
of the 1950-53 Korean War, which ended in a truce. Peacetime control was returned
to Seoul in 1994.
Opponents say the transfer of the control, also known as OPCON, would create a
rift in the alliance.
"U.S. defense officials stated that the U.S. commitment to the Republic of Korea
will remain strong after OPCON transition and that the transition would occur as
planned in 2012," the CFC said. The Republic of Korea is South Korea's official
name.
Speaking of his U.S. visit, which came amid high tension on the Korean Peninsula
after North Korea fired a long-range rocket on April 5, Sharp was quoted as
saying it was "a great opportunity for us to talk to key officials and update
them on the significant activities we are involved in together."
He did not elaborate.
About 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea as a deterrent against
North Korea.
"This joint visit to the U.S. by the CFC commander and the deputy commander was
the first of its kind," the command said, adding Sharp proposed the trip.
samkim@yna.co.kr
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