SEOUL, Feb. 26 (UPI) -- The 2012 U.S. handover to South Korea of wartime operational control of forces in the country has garnered mixed reaction in Seoul.
The Korea Times said the main opposition Grand National Party and smaller Democratic Party are anxious the handover date agreed upon in Washington Friday would weaken South Korean security.
"It is disappointing that the agreement came a few days after the National Assembly's defense committee passed a resolution that opposes the wartime control transition until the North Korean problem is resolved," GNP spokesman Yoo Ki-jun was quoted as saying.
Prior to the agreement, the United States would assume operational control of South Korean forces in South Korea in the event of an attack by North Korea, which has more than 1 million men and women under arms, many deployed along the demilitarized zone.
Critics of the new control measure believe its implementation would lead to a further reduction in U.S. forces in Korea. The United States has about 29,500 troops in South Korea as a deterrent to an attack by the North and as a sign of continued U.S. support for the country.
The government of President Roh Moo-hyun has pushed for an agreement on transfering wartime operational control, arguing the U.S.-South Korean alliance needed upgrading.
"The accord has paved the way for the 50-plus-year-old alliance's entrance upon a new phase for another successful half century," Roh's spokesman said Saturday, according to The Korea Herald. "The two nations' defense authorities will develop a stronger and more effective joint defense system through a complete and smooth transition of wartime operational control."
