'Weight of the role is beyond words,' nominee says; sidesteps calls to scrap military academy merger
Kang Shin-chul, nominee for defense minister, said Thursday he would pursue the transfer of wartime operational control in a way that strengthens the South Korea-US alliance. He also signaled, in indirect terms, that he intends to maintain the government's plan to merge the military service academies — another contentious issue on his plate.
Kang made the remarks on his first day at the confirmation hearing preparation office set up at the Defense Convention Center in Yongsan, Seoul, where he spoke briefly with reporters. "I am Kang Shin-chul, nominee for defense minister of the Republic of Korea," he said. "I feel a weight that words cannot express. I will fulfill the mission given to me."
Asked whether the transfer of operational control could be completed within the government's target timeline — with the Security Consultative Meeting roughly a month away — Kang said the transfer was only possible because of the alliance itself. "If the US-Korea alliance did not exist, the very concept of an operational control transfer would not exist," he said, adding that he would pursue the transfer "in a direction that further strengthens the alliance."
The government is working to use this year's Security Consultative Meeting to verify the Full Operational Capability of the Future Combined Forces Command and set a timeline for the transfer.
On the backlash from academy alumni over the planned merger, Kang said he was aware of the range of concerns. "I believe it all comes from a love of the military," he said. "I will work to ensure that outstanding talent is cultivated."
Asked directly whether he would heed calls from the People Power Party and the academies' alumni associations to scrap the merger, Kang declined to give a straight answer. "The us of the past, the us of today, and the us of the future are all us," he said. "The military academies have walked alongside that history of the Republic of Korea. Whether past, present or future, they will remain our academies." His remarks were widely read as a signal that the merger would proceed, while asking critics to accept whatever form it ultimately takes.
Several senior military figures nominated since the Lee Jae Myung administration took office have withdrawn or been dropped over ties to the martial law declaration. Kang was asked to clarify whether he — then serving as deputy commander of the Combined Forces Command — had any involvement. He said the presidential chief of staff had already given a clear answer on that point.
Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik, at the briefing announcing Kang's nomination on Sunday, said that based on the results of the Constitution Respect TF and a Ministry of National Defense audit, the nominee was not found to have been involved.
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