South Korea is capable of turning down any U.S. request for the entry of Japanese armed forces onto the Korean Peninsula, Defense Minister Han Min-koo said Monday in his latest efforts to defuse concerns over Japan’s rearmament moves.
Japan passed a package of security bills into law in the wee hours of Saturday, unshackling its previously self defense-only armed forces from limitations imposed after World War II and empowering them to fight in overseas battles.
The rearmament step has sparked concerns here that Japanese forces could join U.S. troops stationed in South Korea unilaterally in the event of a war with North Korea.
Rep. Lee Choon-suk of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy raised the issue of unwanted Japanese forces during a parliamentary audit, asking Han if the country could turn down the U.S. military’s request for the entry of Japanese forces in the event of a North Korea-waged war. South Korea “can” do so, Han said in response.
“The wartime operational control is something that is executed under the leadership of both South Korean and U.S. presidents, therefore if our president does not allow it, (the entry) is not permitted,” the defense minister noted.
Under the current bilateral alliance, the U.S. military assumes the OPCON of South Korean forces in the event of a war on the Korean Peninsula, with both sides agreeing last year to delay the planned return of wartime OPCON to Seoul until South Korea is capable of countering North Korean threats.
Japan should gain prior request or consent from South Korea before the country exercises its right to collective self defense on issues related to the peninsula, Han said, reiterating the official South Korean stance on the issue. (Yonhap)
