▲ This photo, released by EPA, shows Gen. Xavier Brunson speaking during a change-of-command ceremony for United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command and United States Forces Korea at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, South Korea on Dec. 20, 2024. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)

(LEAD) S Korea-US war plan

(LEAD) S. Korea, U.S. inked new joint wartime contingency plan last year amid advancing N.K. threats: USFK commander

(ATTN: ADDS more info in paras 5-9)

By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, April 9 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United States signed a new joint wartime operations plan (OPLAN) last year to counter evolving North Korean military threats, the commander of U.S. Forces Korea said Wednesday.

Gen. Xavier Brunson made the remarks in a written statement to the House Armed Services Committee, as Seoul and Washington have been deepening security coordination to deal with advancing North Korean nuclear and ballistic missile threats. He also leads South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC) and U.N. Command.

"Last year, we took a significant step forward in our combat readiness when the new combined Operations Plan was signed," Brunson said.

"Over the past several years, alliance planners worked diligently to construct and develop this plan, constantly testing and validating its concepts through execution during our bi-annual FS and UFS exercise events," he added, referring to annual South Korea-U.S. exercises, Freedom Shield and Ulchi Freedom Shield.

The new OPLAN, reportedly named "OPLAN 5022," is thought to have replaced OPLAN 5015. The previous OPLAN was known to focus largely on addressing conventional North Korean attacks -- a reason why calls surfaced for the South and the U.S. to include the nuclear and other dimensions of the North's threats into its contingency plan.

In December 2021, the defense chiefs of South Korea and the U.S. approved Strategic Planning Guidance (SPG), a basic document to set the tone for an updated or new OPLAN, as a new plan was needed to reflect advances in the North's weapons programs, including its refined nuclear arms, hypersonic missiles and submarine-launched ballistic missiles.

The previous SPG was based on the 2010 strategic guidance, which observers said was outdated given that it did not take into account substantial progress that Pyongyang has made in its dogged push to develop new weapons, including intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).

In March 2022, the top generals of the allies signed the Strategic Planning Directive, a military document directing the update of OPCON -- a key procedure meant to accelerate the process to rewrite contingency plans.

Brunson said that in response to North Korea's "increasingly sophisticated" weapons of mass destruction and missile capabilities, the new OPLAN better prepares CFC prior to armed conflict.

"We will continue to use this plan, refine it, conduct exercises, and develop our OAIs to support it," he said. "As we continue to shape and refine our exercise program in accordance with our new OPLAN, we look for additional opportunities to improve integration and interoperability."

OAI stands for operations, activities and investments.

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