S. Korean military commanders to meet over reforms, U.S. alliance

By Sam Kim
SEOUL, Jan. 5 (Yonhap) -- A star-studded legion of South Korean commanders will
gather this week at a joint military command in the country's central region to
discuss a wide range of issues, including evolving Seoul-Washington military
ties, officials said Monday.
The Thursday meeting at the Gyeryong base, about 120 kilometers south of Seoul,
will draw about 250 top-ranking officers from all branches of the military, and
will be the largest such meeting since the new government took power early last
year, the defense officials said.
The conference, scheduled to be headed by Defense Minister Lee Sang-hee, will
focus on such issues as internal reforms and ways to facilitate the transfer of
wartime operational control of South Korean troops from Washington to Seoul, the
officials said.
The United States has maintained the wartime command since it fought on the South
Korean side in the 1950-53 Korean War, and plans to return it to the Asian ally
by 2012.
The attendants, who will range from the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to
all incumbent brigadier generals, will also discuss ways to boost troop morale,
the officials added.
South Korean commanders were alarmed late last year when a low-ranking solider
tossed a hand grenade inside an army barrack, leaving five injured. The private
complained of mistreatment and menial working conditions.
The explosion was the latest in a series of fatal incidents that have taken place
in the military in recent years.
samkim@yna.co.kr
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