SEOUL, June 14 (Yonhap) — The target year for the return of wartime operational control (OPCON) of South Korean troops to South Korea will be proposed to the presidents of the two countries at the end of the year, Defense Minister Ahn said Sunday. Gyu-back, on the microphone of the public television channel KBS.
“Discussions on verifying full operational capability will take place with the US Secretary of Defense in November at the Security Consultative Meeting, and based on this, a proposal will be made to the presidents of both countries,” he said. explained Ahn. “This is how we will set a year for the return of OPCON in times of war.”
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has made this issue one of the main objectives of his presidency, which will end in 2030. OPCON had been entirely ceded during the Korean War (1950-1953) to the United Nations Command, directed by the United States armed forces, then to the Combined Forces Command (CFC) when it was created in 1978. The latter is, in principle, always led by an American general.
The peacetime OPCON was returned to Seoul in 1994, but the CFC would immediately take over in the event of conflict. An agreement concluded in 2014 nevertheless provides for the retrocession of this right if the South Korean army meets the necessary conditions. In 2025, the defense chiefs of the two countries agreed to carry out an assessment of Seoul’s full operational capacity later this year, which constitutes the second of three stages planned to determine whether the national forces indeed have the necessary means to ensure command.
Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back gives a press conference at the minister’s headquarters in Seoul on June 10, 2026.
Although agreements exist on how to proceed and on the conditions, opinions differ on the timetable: Seoul considers that this could be done in 2027 or 2028, while the commander of the United States Forces in South Korea (USFK) and commander of the CFC, Xavier Brunson, said he believes that the conditions would not be met before 2029.
Asked about this difference of opinions, Ahn wanted to put things into perspective: “Since there can be different opinions even within a marriage, how could states have only identical opinions on the subject of OPCON in times of war?” He recalled that close communication continues in order to iron out the differences. divergences.
On a completely different issue, Ahn indicated that Seoul was moving forward with its project to acquire nuclear-powered submarines. He explained that the country already has the necessary conditions for the construction of such buildings, but that the only obstacle at present is fuel. “The only thing we don’t have is nuclear fuel, but we are seeking cooperation and support from the American side to enable us to low enrich uranium, that is, below 20%.”
As for where to build the first of these submarines, Ahn admitted that Seoul and Washington had not yet reached an agreement, but that the South Korean side had always defended the idea that it should be done in South Korea.
fabien@yna.co.kr
(FIN)
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