Korea, US vow to strengthen cooperation to accelerate wartime OPCON transition in defense talks

Korea and the United States committed to bolstering collaboration to expedite the shift of wartime operational control (OPCON) from Washington to Seoul during their high-level defense discussions this week, according to a joint declaration released on Friday. The two nations convened for the 29th Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD) in Busan, South Korea, from Wednesday to Friday, as President Lee Jae Myung's administration aims to reclaim wartime OPCON before their term concludes in 2030.

Both parties reviewed efforts to modernize the alliance amid a shifting security landscape, they stated in the statement. They also assessed advancements on the Conditions-based Wartime Operational Control Transition Plan and vowed to enhance cooperation to hasten the OPCON transfer. Seoul and Washington have been striving to achieve the conditions-based OPCON transition since they endorsed it in October 2014.

The criteria encompass Korea's ability to lead combined U.S.-Korea forces, its strike and air defense capabilities, and a regional security climate conducive to such a transition.