유엔사의 역할 변화에 대한 법적 쟁점과 과제

Currently, the basis of defense in Korea is the ROK-US Combined Defense System based on the ROK-US alliance, and is designed in a structure centered on the ROK-US Combined Forces Command (CFC) where the Allied Commander (adjunct to the United Nations Command), a US 4‐star general, exercises Wartime Operational Control. However, at the 50th ROK-US Security Consultative Meeting on October 31, 2018, as ROK-US Defense Ministers signed four key strategic documents on the formation of the Wartime Operation Control Transition and the Future Alliance Command, After the Wartime Operation Control Transition in future, the 4‐star general of the ROK military will lead the operation within the ROK Korea Theater of Operation (KTO) as a Future Alliance Commander. Since the Wartime Operation Control Transition means reorganizing current ROK-US Combined Forces Command into a new alliance command structure, in this connection, changes in the role and function of UNC are also expected to be inevitable. Apart from this, recently, as a result of the April 27 Declaration of Panmunjeom, as the substitution of the Armistice Agreement with the Peace Agreement was discussed, the controversy over the existence of the UNC headquarters was also arising. Therefore, In‐depth discussion is needed on how the mission and function of UNC headquarters at a war time or in time of peace will be established in connection with the transition to peace regime or Wartime Operation Control Transition, how the relationship will be established between UNC, Future Alliance command, and ROK Joint Forces, and how the alliance command structure will change accordingly, etc. Thus, based on the experience of changing the role of the United Nations Command, this paper assessed the future role of the United Nations Command, and explored the legal issues and challenges to be addressed in the survival or dismantling of UNC.