Seoul, July 25 The new Defence Minister of South Korea, Ahn Gyu-back pledged to rebuild the military into one trusted by the people following last year's botched martial law bid, as he formally took office as the country's first civilian defence chief in 64 years.
Ahn made the remark after President Lee Jae Myung approved his appointment earlier in the day, filling the ministerial post that had been vacant since former Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun stepped down over allegations he played a key role in the short-lived martial law imposition on December 3.
"We need to restore our military's pride and thoroughly push for a defence reform that can respond to domestic and external threats ... this is where the mission of a civilian defence minister lies," Ahn said in his inaugural address.
He called on the military to strictly adhere to political neutrality and focus on its duty of protecting the people from external threats, mentioning North Korea's advancing nuclear and missile threats, and growing uncertainties in the global security situation, Yonhap news agency reported.
As part of such efforts, the new minister vowed to strengthen a defence cooperation network based on the South Korea-US alliance, which he called a "linchpin" of the country's security.
"I will continuously expand cooperation so the South Korea-US alliance, as a 'global comprehensive strategic alliance,' will develop in a direction that corresponds with national interest," he said.
At the same time, Ahn vowed to militarily support efforts to establish peace on the Korean Peninsula, pledging to leave doors open for dialogue while strengthening deterrence.
South Korea handed over operational control of its troops to the US-led UN Command during the 1950-53 Korean War. Control was then transferred to the two allies' Combined Forces Command when the command was launched in 1978. Wartime operational control still remains in US hands, while South Korea retook peacetime OPCON in 1994.
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