[June 3 to 5] United States, Stop conspiracy for military control and financial pressure to ROK!

[아름드리 나무]

1. Stop  the conspiracy of revocation on the plan of  transference on war time operational control right!

 The Republic of Korea (ROK, afterward) is currently the only country in the world, who does not have war time control right on her own military for 60 years, even as the 60th anniversary of Armistice Agreement on July 27, 1953, is approaching. Technically, the Korean War has not ended yet, but has been only ceased.

In relation to the matter of transference of wartime control right from the US to South Korea, the Hankyoreh article, June 3, 2013 reads:

The new outline for the US-ROK combined command structure that was disclosed on June 1 is nearly identical in structure to the existing Combined Forces Command. The MAJOR CHANGE is that the highest figure in the combined command structure changes from the commander of US forces in Korea to the chairman of the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff.

[..]In accordance with that, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff and the US forces in Korea are combined into the JOINT THEATER COMMAND, and the ground forces, navy, air force, navy, and special forces are placed under that as JOINT COMPONENT COMMANDS.

However, a US commander would retain wartime control of the AIR FORCE, the KEY FORCE in contemporary warfare. This measure is seen as showing awareness of the overwhelming air supremacy and the long experience of the US 7th Air Force, which is located at Osan Air Force Base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. (emphasis by Save Jeju Now)

(Source: Hankyoreh article, June 3, 2013 )

For more details, please see the article. You may also refer to here.

* REFERENCE: The issue on the operational control right on the ROK military started in 1950 during the  Korean War when ex-President Rhee Syng-Man transferred the right to Douglas MacArthur, commander of the UN Forces at the time.  The peacetime control right was transferred from the US to ROK on Dec. 1, 1994, under the government of Kim Young-Sam, ex-President. The matter on the transference of war time control right was first raised in the ROK-US SPI (Security Policy Initiative) in 2005 and worked hard in 2006 under the ex-President Roh Moo-Hyun government (Source)

Regarding the move above, the SPARK(Solidarity for Peace And Reunification of Korea) denounced that the ROK-US authorities are to revoke the plan of transference of war time control right.

The group held a press conference in front of the ROK Ministry of National Defense on June 3, under the subject and claims that read, “Denunciation on the scheme to annul the plan on the transference of war time control right: No, creation of a new combined command structure! Complete dismantling of the ROK-US Combined Command ! Transference of war time control right!”

Source: SPARK/ SPARK press conference in front of Ministry of National Defense, ROK, on June 3, 2013 

The SPARK explained the purpose of its press conference on June 3 as the below, which is also reflected in its statement on the day (source)

1. The both authorities of ROK-US are promoting for the revocation of the plan on the transference of war time control right, which was decided for December, 2015. It is known that, while the both authorities are to maintain the Combined Forces Command merely with the change of its name, the chairman of the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff is to take charge as commander of it (*combined theater command), with the commander of US forces in Korea becoming second in command. It is reported that the both ROK-US authorities are to agree with that measure on the formation of Combined Command in the Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) this October.

 2. Even though it is told that the personnel in the Ministry of National Defense said that “the essence of transference of war time control right, by which the ROK would carry out her war time control right, is maintained,” it is unreasonable to expect that the United States that has never transferred other countries her operation control right on her military of the Combined Theater Command would be ordered in all but name by the four-star general of the ROK military. (* The SPARK claims that it is because the United States military is to secure the core of war performance, named C4I- Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and intelligence. Source). Therefore it is highly possible that the measure-that the chairman of the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff is to take charge as commander of new combined structure (*combined theater command), with the commander of US forces in Korea becoming second in command respectively- has a hidden intention for both ROK and US to escape the criticism on revocation plan on the transference of operational control right.

3. It is same with that the ROK is to permanently give up her restoration of military sovereignty, for the both authorities of the ROK-US to revoke the transference on the war time operational control right for the excuse of the North Korean nuclear and missile threat. For the both authorities to agree with each other on the revocation on the plan on the transference of operational control right is a result of combination of the domination strategy of the United States who is to strengthen the blockade against China; and the interest of the ROK conservative vested-rights class on the basis of ROK-US alliance.

4. Therefore we claim the stop of conspiracy of revocation on the plan of transference on war time operational control right, complete dismantling of the ROK-US Combined Forces Command and UN Command, and Complete transference of war time operational control right. 

 Source: Hankyoreh, June 3, 2013/ 'South Korean Minister of Defense Kim Kwan-jin talks with US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, May 31. (AP/Yonhap News)' 

2.  STOP the Sharing Management Agreement! No more South Korean's tax for the US Forces of Korea!

Source:  SPARK/ The SPARK performance against the SMA in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on June 5, 2013 

The SPARK also had another important agenda on the same day. The Tongil news, June 3, 2013 well narrates on the current US move to increase South Koreans' sharing costs for the stationing of the US Forces of Korea and on the reason why people oppose it. The below is translated excerpts of the Tongil News article:

The US Military Matter Team of the SPARK stated that “while the United States government is acknowledging only the ROK’s sharing part for the cost of the US forces stationing in Korea, she is not nearly acknowledging the  ROK’s other direct/indirect support costs to the US Forces of Korea. The sharing cost ratio for the US Forces’ stationing in Korea (non-human cost) between the ROK and US is 65.1% : 34.9% ." 

According to the ‘comprehensive survey on the operation and maintenance cost for the 2012 fiscal year budget,’ published by the office of vice-secretary of Defense Department, US, the total cost that the US government takes charge for the US Forces’ stationing  in Korea (non-human cost) is 773,300,000 USD (about 893.9 billion KRW ) as of 2010. Among that, operation and management cost is 646,800,000 USD; family housing operation cost is 39,300,000 USD, family housing construction cost is 4,400,000 USD; and military construction cost is 82,800,000 USD. 

However, according to the resource of the ROK Ministry of National Defense, as of 2010, the ROK directly supports 790.4 billion KRW for the defense sharing cost, 11.4 billion won for KATUSA (Korean Augmentation To the United States Army) police support, 5.44 billion KRW for real estate support, and 48.84 KRW for the miscellaneous such as improvement of the base vicinity. The ROK indirectly costs 564.8 billion won for the eval‎uation on the rent fee on land, 71.7 billion KRW for value eval‎uation on the KATUSA support, 168.3 billion KRW for the tax reduction on salvation, 8.9 billion KRW for the reduction on public fee, 4.9 billion KRW for the exemption on the usage fee on road/ habour& bay/airport, 0.19 KRW for the support of railroad transportation. As a result, the ROK supports the US Forces of Korea with 856.1 billiion KRW for direct support and 818.8 billion KRW for indirect cost. The total cost is 1 trillion 674.9 billion KRW (about 1 billion 409 million USD). (* 1USD=1117.10 KRW as of June 7, 2013)

The United States says that ‘the personal in the United States have demanded ROK to increase ROK sharing rate for the stationing costs of US Forces of Korea, up to 50% at least, in the recent ROK-US consultation.” 

However, the SPARK pointed out that “The United States’ claim of unfairness by saying that the ROK charges only 42% of the stationing cost for the United Forces of Korea is the result of her excluding most of the direct/indirect support cost beside the ROK’ sharing cost for the US forces’ stationing in Korea, which is very arbitrary and subjective.  The reason that the United States does such unreasonable claim can be seen only to pressure the ROK for the greater increment of her sharing costs for the US military’s stationing in Korea."

The group also pointed out that “For 10 years from 1993 when the ROK’s burden was eval‎uated as 78% (remark by Les Aspin, Secretary of Defense, US, then)  to 2002, standard year for the Report by the Department of Defense, US, the ROK’s sharing cost for the US Forces’ stationing of Korea did not decrease but increase about 3.6 times ( 169 billion KRW  to 613.2 billion KRW). By 2011, it increased about 4.8 times (169.4 billion KRW to 812.5 billion KRW). On the contrary, the whole numbers of US Forces of Korea which were 36,450 in 1993 are 28,500 as of 2011, the both authorities say.”