3 flags of the USFK commander

U.S. Army General James Thurman was inaugurated Thursday as the new commander of the U.S. Forces (South) Korea for a three-year term. Top brass of the South Korean and U.S. militaries attended a ceremony held on the U.S. base in Seoul`s Yongsan district. Officers and soldiers of the two allies showed a strong sense of alliance, as they saluted while both national anthems were being played. General Thurman, who served as field commander in various wars including those in Iraq and Kuwait, gave a strong impression.

At his inauguration ceremony, he received three flags –- one for the (South) Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command, another for the U.N. Command, and the third for the U.S. Forces Korea. Korean Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin handed over the U.S. Forces Korea flag, while Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, gave Thurman the U.N. Command flag. Robert F. Willard, commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, handed over the U.S. Forces Korea flag. Thurman received the flags so firmly that the strength of his grip could be felt even 100 meters away. Kim Jae-chang, former deputy commander of the U.S. Forces Korea, said Thurman showed a strong gesture showing his commitment to his security responsibilities.

Since November 1978, the U.S. forces commander has doubled as the chief of the Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command to ensure consistent operational command in case of emergency by combining the operational command systems of the two countries’ militaries. The combined command system was believed to be the most efficient to promptly respond to North Korea’s provocations with the two allies’ 700,000-strong forces without U.N. approval of the use of force.

The previous Roh Moo-hyun administration of South Korea, however, demanded that Washington return its operational command of South Korean troops to Seoul. In October 2006, the two allies agreed to do so in April 2012. After that, the South Korean and U.S. administrations agreed to postpone the handover until December 2015.

The outgoing and incoming U.S. forces commanders stressed that the South Korea-U.S. combined defense system is ready to deter the North’s provocations and retaliate in the event of a military clash. At the end of the inauguration ceremony, they yelled, “Let go together.” The picture of combined defense on the Korean Peninsula after the command transfer and the disbanding of the Combined Forces Command remains uncertain and insecure, however. Fears are rising that a new military organization will replace the Combined Forces Command and be under two commanders, and that the new body will not be able to function as one body.

Editorial Writer Ha Tae-won (triplets@donga.com)