Defense committee chair says OPCON agreement stands despite US midterm outcome
The United States acknowledged that certain policy-related variables could affect the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) to Seoul, but reaffirmed its commitment to the existing bilateral agreement that the handover will proceed based on agreed conditions, a Korean lawmaker said Sunday. Rep. Jin Sung-joon of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), who chairs the National…
U.S. lawmakers affirmed their commitment to the existing OPCON agreement with South Korea despite the Democratic Party's victory in the recent midterm elections, according to a statement from Rep. Jin Sung-joon, chair of the National Assembly’s National Defense Committee. Jin briefed reporters at the National Assembly on the recent parliamentary delegation's trip to the United States from November 1 to 5, noting that despite the last-minute entry approval, the delegation managed to visit U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and its subordinate components in Hawaii.
The delegation's visit was part of ongoing discussions between the two nations regarding the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON), which has been a topic of debate for over two decades. Jin stated that he does not anticipate any significant changes to the OPCON transfer process due to the Democratic Party's electoral success, emphasizing the stability of the existing bilateral agreement.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
This story
This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.
