Once in awhile, there are surprises in history that just grab hold and won’t let go. I saw one of those this morning when a story in the Wall Street Journal documented a little footnote in the history of the Korean War - in time of war, the United States military controls the South Korean military. Day to day control lies with the South.
I have dealt with the South Korean Army for 30 years or so and never knew that little fact. How can a sovereign nation not control its own military in time of war? The official explanation, as shown in this article, is that they are not ready. That means, since 1953 when the war sort of ended, the Korean Army has not gotten itself ready to fight a war without US supervision.
They certainly seem competent as a military force. They do have a little trouble keeping secrets at times, especially those war plans the North claims to have gotten from the South, but they are good fighters and they know how to defend their country. The North would find them a capable enemy if it ever came to that. So, you have to ask yourselve why they are not ready to act independently in a time of war? I don’t have an answer for that question, but it needs to be asked more often of the US Defense Department.
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