韩国总统李在明表示，韩国完全有能力重新掌握与美国驻韩联军的战时作战指挥权首尔，10月19日——韩国总统李在明周一表示，韩国完全有能力重新掌握与美国驻韩联军的战时作战指挥权，目前与美国的谈判正在顺利进行中。
Lee says S Korea capable of taking back wartime command of combined US forces SEOUL, Oct 19 - South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on Monday the country is fully capable of taking back the wartime operational control of the combined forces with the US stationed in the country and talks with Washington for the change are progressing.
李在明还指出，尽管朝鲜已经开发了核武器，但韩国仍拥有一支强大的军队；他认为核武器主要用于最终防御，而非用于实战。
Lee also said South Korea has built a powerful military that can counter North Korea even though Pyongyang has developed nuclear weapons, which he said are fundamentally a means for final defence, not for combat in a war.
“坦率地说，我们应该尽早重新掌握战时作战指挥权。我们完全有能力做到这一点，与美国的谈判也进展顺利，”李在明在青瓦台对记者们说道。
"To put it plainly, we should take back wartime operation control at an early time. We are fully capable of it and discussions with the US are basically going well," Lee told reporters at the Blue House presidential compound.
不过，这一进程远非易事——因为自1950年至1953年的朝鲜战争以来，作战指挥权一直由美国掌握至今（至今已有70年时间）。
But the process is far from simple, as it has been 70 years since operational control was entrusted to the US, he added.
韩国在1950年至1953年的朝鲜战争期间便做出了相关决定，允许美军领导联合国部队为韩国作战；两国于2007年达成协议，同意最终将指挥权移交给韩国。
South Korea made the decision during the 1950-53 Korean War, enabling the US military to lead the UN forces fighting for South Korea. The two countries agreed in 2007 to eventually transfer the command control to South Korea.
目前，美国在韩国部署了约2.85万名士兵及军事装备，共同防范朝鲜的核武器和弹道导弹威胁。尽管双方签署了停战协议，但从技术层面讲，两国仍处于战争状态。
The US stations about 28,500 troops and military hardware in South Korea in combined defence against North Korea, which has pursued nuclear arms and ballistic missile development. The two Koreas remain technically at war under a truce.
李在明表示，他希望在2030年自己的任期结束之前完成美韩联军指挥权的移交——这一目标一直是韩国历届政府长期追求的目标。如果发生与朝鲜的战争，届时将由韩国将军而非美国指挥官来统领韩美联军。
Lee has said he aims to complete the transfer of the overall command of the combined US-South Korea allied forces at a time of war, a goal pursued by successive South Korean governments for decades, before his five-year term ends in 2030. Such a change would mean a South Korean general rather than a U.S. commander would lead allied South Korean and U.S. forces in the event of a war with North Korea.
两国一直在就韩国军队是否具备承担这一指挥权的条件进行讨论，但似乎仍存在一些分歧。
The allies have been engaged in discussions to evaluate readiness of the South Korean military to take on such a command, but there appeared to be some disagreement.
美国驻韩美军司令员布鲁森将军本周表示，自盟军确立转移要求以来，安全环境已发生变化。
The commander of the US Forces Korea, General Xavier Brunson, said this week the security environment had changed since the allies established the transfer requirements.
韩国媒体报道称，首尔希望2028年成为转移目标年份，而布鲁森将军则在4月的美国国会听证会上表示，美军已提交一份路线图，旨在在2029年早期满足转移条件。
South Korean media have reported that Seoul favours 2028 as the target year for the transfer, while Brunson told a US congressional hearing in April that the US military had submitted a roadmap aimed at meeting the conditions by early 2029.