President reaffirms push to reclaim wartime OPCON

President Lee Jae Myung has reiterated his commitment to reclaiming wartime operational control, known as Operational Control of the Korean Peninsula (OPCON), from the United States, emphasizing its importance to Korea's sovereignty. During a press conference at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, Lee expressed confidence in the country's defense capabilities, stating that despite the challenges of changing a command arrangement that has endured for over seven decades, the nation is fully equipped to take control at an early date.

Discussions between Korea and the United States are reportedly progressing well towards the handover, though differing views may emerge, according to Lee. He stressed that Korea must take responsibility for evaluating its own defense capabilities.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.