Defense minister nominee grilled

[Anchor]

We bring you news on the ministerial candidate's confirmation hearing.

First, Ahn Gyu-back, the candidate for Minister of National Defense, stated that he aims to obtain wartime operational control during the current government's term.

However, the presidential office clarified that the statement about achieving this within the term is a personal opinion.

The confirmation hearing was temporarily halted as the ruling and opposition parties engaged in a dispute over the allegations regarding drones sent to Pyongyang.

Reporter Jo Hye-jin has the details.

[Report]

The confirmation hearing for Ahn Gyu-back, who has been nominated as the first civilian Minister of National Defense in 64 years, focused on the issue of the transfer of wartime operational control.

[Ahn Gyu-back/Minister of National Defense Candidate: "I understand that the goal is to achieve the transfer of wartime operational control within the term of the Lee Jae Myung government."]

The ruling and opposition parties showed differing positions.

[Yoon Sang-hyun/Member of the National Defense Committee/People Power Party: "The transfer of wartime operational control does not end there. It is intertwined with the reduction of U.S. troops in South Korea."]

[Park Sun-won/Member of the National Defense Committee/Democratic Party: "(If the transfer happens) U.S. troops will withdraw; there are all sorts of claims. The U.S. military does not think that way."]

The presidential office stated that while the recovery of wartime operational control is a presidential promise, the timeline of 'within five years' is the personal opinion of candidate Ahn.

Afterward, candidate Ahn also changed his statement.

[Ahn Gyu-back/Minister of National Defense Candidate: "I did not set a deadline; I expressed my willingness to promote the transfer of wartime operational control."]

A heated debate also continued over the allegations of 'drone infiltration into Pyongyang.'

[Kim Byung-joo/Member of the National Defense Committee/Democratic Party: "This could clearly be a matter of foreign aggression inducement crimes or treason, and it could also be a cause of insurrection on December 3..."]

[Seong Il-jong/Chairman of the National Defense Committee/People Power Party: "If we say we won't conduct such operations, how will North Korea view us? Should we just sit back and take it?"]

After a heated exchange, the confirmation hearing was temporarily suspended.

Allegations were also raised regarding candidate Ahn's record of serving eight months longer than normal in the military, questioning whether he had deserted or been confined.

[Ahn Gyu-back/Minister of National Defense Candidate: "The 22 months includes the time I was attending school; that was counted as part of my service period. There was a misunderstanding. It was an administrative error."]

Candidate Ahn emphasized that North Korea is an enemy but stated that communication is necessary, and he expressed his intention to restore the September 19 military agreement starting from a low level.

This is KBS News, Jo Hye-jin.