Jung Jeom-sik, the floor leader of the People Power Party, urged the government on October 18 to reconsider the schedule for the transfer of wartime operational control. He also demanded that Kim Min-seok, the leader of the Democratic Party, take responsibility for his comments regarding the impeachment of Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae and reach a swift conclusion on the matter.
During a press conference at the National Assembly, Jung criticized the government and ruling party for attempting to align the timing of the transfer with President Lee Jae-myung's term. He stated, "President Lee has repeatedly claimed that 'the transfer of operational control is a military sovereignty issue that must be completed within his term.' It is extremely dangerous to think of using the transfer as a political achievement during his term."
He added, "Operational control is a command system necessary for conducting unified and efficient military operations against a common enemy; it is not a matter of sovereignty. The assertion that 'operational control is sovereignty' is merely political rhetoric."
Jung called on the government and ruling party to cease attempts to force the transfer of operational control to fit the presidential timetable and urged a review of the schedule in sufficient consultation with the United States.
Regarding Kim's formalization of discussions on the impeachment of Chief Justice Cho on October 16, Jung stated, "He must take serious responsibility for this."
Jung emphasized, "The implications of a major party leader officially discussing the impeachment of a chief justice, one of the three branches of government, are enormous. His comments carry the weight of effectively proposing impeachment."
He further criticized Kim, stating, "As the ruling party, it is irresponsible to only consider their political accountability while prolonging the chaos surrounding the impeachment issue. I urge him to reach a swift conclusion on whether to pursue the impeachment of the chief justice."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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