President reaffirms push to reclaim wartime OPCON by 2028

President Lee Jae Myung has reaffirmed his administration's commitment to reclaiming wartime operational control (OPCON) from the United States by 2028, emphasizing the importance of this move to South Korea's sovereignty. Speaking during the 500th day of his administration, Lee expressed confidence in the country's defense capabilities and positively assessed ongoing talks with Washington regarding the handover.

He stated, "To put it plainly, we must reclaim OPCON at an early date, and we are fully capable of doing so," adding that discussions between the two allies were "also generally progressing well toward its transition." However, the timeline for this transfer remains a subject of uncertainty, with U.S. Forces Korea Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson outlining a roadmap for meeting the OPCON transfer conditions by the first quarter of 2029 during a recent U.S. House Armed Services Committee hearing.

Brunson's more recent comments have added to the ambiguity surrounding Seoul's preferred timetable, as changes in operational plans have led to new standards.

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.