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Alexander Vershbow, U.S. ambassador to Seoul, listens to the ruling Uri Pary chairman Kim Geun-tae delievering a speech at a meeting of party representatives at the National Assembly on September 26.
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Vershbow calls wartime military control transfer a ’natural development’
Alexander Vershbow, U.S. ambassador to Seoul, called the the transfer of wartime operational command from the U.S. to South Korea a natural development between the two and a process to achieve a more balanced partnership. In a breakfast speech during a meeting with lawmakers from the governing Uri Party on September 26, the U.S. diplomat said that he wanted to stress that South Korea and the U.S. are closely discussing Seoul’s regaining of wartime command. Ambassador Vershbow said that he knows well that the matter has raised a great deal of political controversy in South Korea, but said that he hoped the nation would not remain divided over the matter. Military experts from both countries agreed to hold consultations to set up a road map for the transfer, he said, and to decide the proper timing while not turning the problem into a political one. Lawmakers who attended said that Ambassador Vershbow confirmed that the exact timing for the transfer had not yet been decided.A lawmaker who attended the meeting said of the wartime transfer, "There may be parts to be coordinated and supplemented step by step, but Vershbow ensured us that regardless of [the next administration in Seoul], it is certain that wartime operational command will be transferred to South Korea." About 20 Uri Party lawmakers, including Uri chairman Kim Geun-tae participated in the meeting.
