Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said on the 27th that he had lodged a protest with the United States over remarks by Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, who said the Republic of Korea "begins south of the Demilitarized Zone."
Speaking at a comprehensive parliamentary audit held by the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, Cho said he "fully agreed" when Rep. Lee Ki-heon of the Democratic Party of Korea called for a clear warning from the ministry over Brunson's comments. "After those remarks last week, I summoned U.S. Ambassador Michelle Steel to the ministry and conveyed this position," Cho said.
Brunson, who also serves as commander of the United Nations Command, said at a seminar hosted by a U.S. think tank on the 14th local time that "from the perspective of the United Nations Command, the Republic of Korea begins at that fence line south of the DMZ." The comment drew criticism in Seoul for disregarding the territorial provisions of South Korea's constitution. Brunson also stirred controversy recently by suggesting that assessments of whether conditions for the transfer of wartime operational control have been met could change. Cho said he intends "to convey that message to the U.S. side once again."
Cho added that he had "heard that the timing and the substance are converging" from U.S. officials regarding the transfer of wartime operational control. "There were such discussions at my recent meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and I also discussed the matter with Deputy Defense Secretary Elbridge Colby when I was in Washington at the time," he said.