Kim Byung-joo: “After OPCON transfer, the ROK Armed Forces should command both peacetime and wartime operations”

[Financial News] Kim Byung-joo, a Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) lawmaker and President Lee Jae-myung’s special adviser on defense policy, argued on the 8th that the operational command structure for peacetime and wartime should be reorganized into a single system led by the ROK Armed Forces after the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON).
At the National Assembly’s audit that day, Kim pointed to the dual command structure under which the ROK JCS chairman directs operations in peacetime, while a U.S. four-star general serving as commander of the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command directs them in wartime. “There has never been a case anywhere in the world of peacetime and wartime operations being run separately,” Kim said, adding, “It’s like having one coach oversee routine training and a different coach lead the team in matches.” He continued, “At present, the ROK JCS chairman is tied up with peacetime operations, making it difficult to devote sufficient attention to the chairman’s core responsibilities, such as advising on military command, military diplomacy and determining force requirements.” He stressed, “Once we take command of wartime operations following the OPCON transfer, the ROK commander of the Combined Forces Command should also direct peacetime operations.”
In October 2018, at the 50th ROK-U.S. Security Consultative Meeting (SCM), the two countries agreed to operate a future combined forces command structure after the OPCON transfer, with a four-star general from the ROK Armed Forces as commander and a U.S. four-star general as deputy commander. However, the agreement did not include transferring authority over peacetime operations to the future command, so a separate discussion on restructuring the command system is needed.
Kim’s proposal also aligns with the “self-reliant national defense” policy emphasized by the Lee Jae-myung administration. The government aims to complete the OPCON transfer as early as the end of 2027 and no later than the first quarter of 2029.
At the audit that day, ROK JCS Chairman Jin Young-seung and Kim Seong-min, deputy commander of the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command, expressed agreement on the need to unify the command structure.
[email protected] Song Ji-won Reporter