The South Korean defence ministry has decided to scrap a plan to establish new joint military command structure, a ministry official said.
“We decided to scrap the plan to create the JFC and its commander because such operational command is not guaranteed by the constitution,” he added.
Go deeper with GlobalData
The Joint Forces Command (JFC) was intended to enhance interoperability among the armed forces to better respond to provocations by North Korea.
As per the original plan, a four-star officer would lead the new JFC with more command authority than the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff (JCS).
The JCS chairman currently has operational command over all military branches, however the authority to manage military personnel is vested with each chief of staff of the three branches.
The navy and air force have also opposed the plan, fearing that the army would dominate the new operational command, according to Yonhap News.
