Seoul conveyed its displeasure to Washington over the US Forces Korea commander's remarks about the border

A diplomatic démarche after a general's remarks

South Korea has sent the United States a complaint over remarks by the commander of US Forces Korea (USFK), General Xavier Brunson, about the inter-Korean border, the country's foreign minister said on Tuesday Foreign Minister Cho Hyun. According to Yonhap, cited by Anadolu, Brunson, who also heads the United Nations Command (UNC), said at a seminar in Washington earlier this month that, from the UNC's perspective, South Korean territory begins at the southern fence of the Demilitarized Zone established by the armistice that ended the 1950–1953 war.

Seoul's position and the command's response

“Last week I summoned Steel to the Foreign Ministry to convey our position regarding Brunson's remarks. I will raise this issue with the American side again,” Cho said after a lawmaker urged the government to issue Washington a “clear warning.” Under South Korea's constitution, the country's territory encompasses the entire Korean Peninsula and its adjacent islands. The UN Command subsequently stated that South Korea's sovereignty is not in question and that Brunson was referring to the command's military and administrative responsibilities under the Armistice Agreement.

The issue of transferring operational control

Lawmakers also called on the Foreign Ministry to lodge a protest with Washington over Brunson's remarks that “conditions have changed” for returning wartime operational control (OPCON) of troops to Seoul. “I believe we should retake wartime OPCON as soon as possible,” Cho said, adding that the two countries' defense authorities continue to discuss the timing of the transfer and that the talks are going well. The presidential office stressed that Seoul and Washington continue consultations under the existing agreement, and that Brunson's remarks reflect his personal opinion rather than official US policy.