The editorial recalled that the military authorities of south Korea agreed on the U.S. forces' indefinite exercise of the right to OPECON at the annual security consultative meeting.

It said the Lee Myung Bak regime extended the transfer of the right to OPECON to the period beyond 2012 under the pretext of the north's nuclear test, Cheonan warship sinking case, etc. though it had been slated for the year and the Ministry of Defense affirmed that there would be no re-extension as it was fully ready for its transfer in 2015.

The present south Korean authorities, however, overturned the preceding theory and declaration for the mere reason that they "have not acquired such capacity", the editorial said.

The reason that the "north's nuclear weaponization through a nuclear test poses a serious threat" has no persuasive power at all, it noted, adding that such situation was created not yesterday or today but during the Lee regime when it was extended.

If south Korea intends to cling to such theory, it should declare it will give up its military sovereignty forever in case the north conducts another nuclear test in the future, it noted.

It urged the south Korean authorities to stop extending the transfer of the right to OPECON indefinitely.