Assembly defense chief says UN commander's remarks on Korean territory 'must be corrected'

Jin Sung-joon, chairman of the National Assembly's National Defense Committee and a lawmaker of the Democratic Party of Korea, said he was "unable to conceal his shock" over remarks by Gen. Xavier Brunson — commander of the UN Command and USFK — suggesting that South Korea's territory begins at the southern limit line of the demilitarized zone, and said Brunson's "perception must be corrected without fail."

Jin made the remarks in a statement posted to Facebook on Friday, in which he shared portions of Brunson's comments.

Speaking at a seminar hosted by the Gold Institute for International Strategy in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday (local time), Brunson said: "Where does the Republic of Korea start and where does it end? From a UN Command perspective, I think the Republic of Korea starts at the southern wire."

In response, Jin said the remarks "contradict our Constitution, which defines the territory of the Republic of Korea as the Korean Peninsula and its adjacent islands," adding that he could not help but ask "how the UN Command perceives South Korea's territorial sovereignty over the DMZ."

Jin also said Brunson "appears to be trying to justify his position on the basis of the Armistice Agreement," but called that interpretation "arbitrary." He noted that the agreement "is, above all, a military accord," pointing to language in its preamble stating that the conditions and terms it sets out "are purely military in character."

Jin said the UN Command's jurisdiction over the DMZ "must therefore be limited to military purposes and character," and that it "must not be expanded into a broader question of South Korea's territorial sovereignty."

He added that he was "unable to conceal his shock and dismay" that the person who had sparked a serious controversy over South Korea's territory and sovereignty was simultaneously the UN commander, the Combined Forces Command commander and the USFK commander. He called on the United States, if it recognizes and respects South Korea as a sovereign equal, to "convey a clear position and take necessary measures to ensure that Brunson's perception and remarks do not undermine the trust of the alliance."

Jin stressed that he was "not questioning Brunson's commitment to faithfully carrying out his duties within the authority granted to him," but insisted that "the exercise of that authority and the performance of those duties must not amount to a denial of South Korea's territorial sovereignty."