Politics · South Korea · 6 hrs ago
Former USFK commander criticizes claim that wartime control transfer is ready
South Korean Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul told lawmakers that all three conditions for transferring wartime operational control have been met.
He said the transfer from the United States to South Korea could happen immediately.
Former US Forces Korea commander Vincent Brooks called Kang’s remarks very disappointing on November 13.
Brooks compared the claim to saying a student could graduate without finishing required courses or passing a final exam.
President Lee Jae-myung’s government is seeking to complete the transfer during its term and has said it will set out a timetable.
The dispute matters because the two sides differ over whether the conditions for South Korea taking wartime command are fulfilled.
Former US Forces Korea commander Vincent Brooks criticized South Korean Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul’s claim that wartime operational control can be transferred immediately.
Kang said the three conditions for the transfer had all been met and that it could happen “right now.”
Brooks called Kang’s remarks “very disappointing.”
He compared the claim to saying a university student could graduate without completing required courses or passing final exams.
The South Korean government has said it aims to transfer wartime operational control during its term and plans to set a timetable.
- Who
- Vincent Brooks, a former commander of US Forces Korea, criticized Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul.
- What
- Brooks said Kang’s claim that wartime operational control could be transferred immediately was disappointing.
- When
- Brooks made the remarks on the 13th. The article was published on November 13, 2026.
- Where
- Not stated.
- Why
- Kang said the three conditions for transferring wartime operational control had all been met; Brooks disputed the readiness implied by that claim.
Vincent Brooks
Kang Shin-chul
Readiness for transfer
Vincent Brooks
Brooks called Kang’s claim “very disappointing” and compared it to graduating without completing required courses or passing final exams.
Kang Shin-chul
Kang said all three conditions for transferring wartime operational control had been met and that it could happen right now.
Kang told the National Assembly that all three conditions for transferring wartime operational control had been met and that the transfer could happen immediately.
Brooks criticized Kang’s remarks as very disappointing.
- Speaker
- Vincent Brooks, former US Forces Korea commander
- Official making the claim
- Kang Shin-chul, South Korean defense minister
- Conditions
- Three conditions for wartime operational control transfer
- Brooks’s assessment
- Very disappointing remarks
- South Korean government goal
- Transfer wartime operational control during its term and set a timetable
What people are saying
Very disappointing remarks
It is like saying a university student can graduate today even though they have not completed the required courses or passed the final exams.
right now