A timeline for the handover of wartime operational control (OPCON) to South Korea from the United States will be established during this year’s annual ministerial meeting. US Forces Korea commander Gen. Xavier Brunson mentioned that the transfer conditions should be met by the first quarter of 2029. The decision will be made in the Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) and proposed to the presidents of both countries based on suggestions from South Korean and US military authorities.
The Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) is an annual defence ministerial gathering held each autumn in either Seoul or Washington. Seoul and Washington are working towards the transfer in a systematic and stable manner. While the exact timing of the handover was not specified, South Korea aims to complete the transfer promptly within President Lee Jae Myung’s term ending in 2030.
South Korea has been striving for a “conditions-based” handover of wartime command from the US. Operational control of South Korean troops was transferred to the US-led UN Command during the Korean War and later to the Combined Forces Command in 1978. The envisioned transition requires South Korea to demonstrate capabilities to lead combined Korea-US forces, possess strike and air defense capabilities, and operate in a conducive regional security environment.
