(Source-Channel A News Top Ten, 6.4) US to ROK, pass the three conditions if you want operational wartime control. 1. ROK military possess ability to perform core military capability of combined defense. 2. Possess readiness to carry out quick response capability against North Korean nuclear missiles. 3. Preparing the Korean peninsula area to become a more secure environment.
Mission impossible? Sales pitch for US weapons systems? Inducement for integration with US- Japanese alliance? While the initial agreement called for transfer of wartime operational control of the Combined Forces Command to South Korea by 2022, these conditions as reported by Channel A News appear to present the prospect of indefinite delay in the transition to a South Korean controlled CFC. Secretary Shanahan congratulated Minister of Defense Jeong Kyeong Du on making progress in meeting conditions ahead of schedule. Nevertheless, the prospect for a timely transition seems uncertain under the proffered conditions in light of the current political and military situation in northeast Asia.