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ROK Asks U.S. to Delay Troop Control Handover Again
Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin has asked his U.S. counterpart Chuck Hagel to postpone the transfer of full operational control of Korean troops to Seoul. Kim made the request when he met Hagel in Singapore last month. The handover is scheduled for 2015 and spells the end for Combined Forces Command under U.S. leadership.Officials from the two sides are discussing the matter further, with a view to the two defense chiefs wrapping up discussions in October. A senior U.S. Defense Department official told Yonhap News on Tuesday, "I know that has been proposed by the South Korean government, and we are looking at that, working with the South Korean government." The official added that U.S. President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry have been briefed on the request. "Kim proposed to the U.S. to pursue the handover of wartime operational control with caution because of worsening tensions after North Koreas third nuclear test," a government official here said. President Park Geun-hye and chief presidential security advisor Kim Jang-soo both apparently want the handover postponed. Posted by: Steve White 2013-07-20 |
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