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| ▲ This file photo, taken Aug. 10, 2023, shows Gen. Paul LaCamera (3rd from R), commander of the U.N. Command, attending a meeting at the presidential office in central Seoul. (Yonhap) |
S Korea-UN Command
S. Korea in talks with U.N. Command over staff participation
SEOUL, Nov. 9 (Yonhap) -- South Korea is in talks with the U.S.-led U.N. Command (UNC) on ways for its military to take on roles on the unit's staff, the defense ministry said Thursday, amid yearslong efforts by the multinational command to bolster its presence.
The UNC, which serves as the enforcer of the armistice of the 1950-53 Korean War, has been pushing to expand its group of senior officers in recent years in a move to strengthen its reduced profile after the launch of the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC) in 1978.
Jeon Ha-kyou, the defense ministry's spokesperson, said talks on ways for the South Korean military to join the UNC's staff were taking place, noting it has been making efforts to boost cooperation with the command to maintain peace on the Korean Peninsula.
"There are currently consultations under way on ways for the South Korean military to take part in the U.N. Command's staff," Jeon told a regular briefing. "But there has been no decision on the size (of the participation) and which positions they will occupy."
The remark comes amid persistent questions over the future role of the UNC, which is composed of the United States and 16 other countries that sent personnel to support South Korea during the Korean War.
At the height of the three-year war, the UNC, anchored in a 1950 U.N. mandate to respond to the North's "breach of peace," was an overarching war-fighting institution to defend South Korea against Pyongyang's aggression.
But its role was reduced to overseeing the armistice after its operational control over South Korean troops was handed to the CFC.
In light of its diminished role, the command has been pushing a "revitalization" campaign since 2014 to strengthen its staff by securing more contributions from its members.
Amid the UNC's efforts, South Korea has recently sought to boost cooperation with the command, with the country set to host the first-ever defense ministerial meeting of UNC sending states Tuesday to discuss ways for cooperation.
The move has raised questions over South Korea's possible membership into the UNC, although Defense Minister Shin Won-sik has struck a cautious tone over the possibility.
In a press event last Friday, Shin said more considerations were needed for a decision that would "maximize" the country's interests.
The UNC is led by a four-star U.S. general, currently Gen. Paul LaCamera, who also heads the CFC and U.S. Forces Korea.
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