South Korea complains to US over commander’s remarks on inter-Korean border

South Korea has lodged a complaint with the US over remarks by the commander of US Forces Korea (USFK) concerning the inter-Korean border, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said Tuesday.

USFK Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson, who also heads the UN 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 line of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), established under the armistice that halted the 1950-53 Korean War, according to Yonhap News.

“Last week, I called Steel to the foreign ministry to convey our position following Brunson’s remarks. I will raise the matter with the U.S. side again,” Cho said after a lawmaker called for the government to issue “a clear warning” to Washington over the matter.

Under the South Korean Constitution, the country’s territory encompasses the entire Korean Peninsula and its adjacent islands.

The UNC later said South Korea’s sovereignty was not in question and Brunson had been referring to the command’s military and administrative responsibilities under the Armistice Agreement.

Lawmakers also urged the ministry to lodge a protest with Washington over Brunson’s remarks that “conditions have changed” for South Korea to regain wartime operational control (OPCON) from Washington.

“I believe we should retake wartime OPCON as soon as possible,” Cho said. “The two countries’ military authorities were continuing discussions on the timing of the transfer, and the talks were proceeding well.”

The presidential office said Seoul and Washington were continuing consultations under their existing agreement, stressing that Brunson’s remarks represented his personal views rather than official US policy.