OPCON transfer unlikely during Trump's term, ex-US diplomat says
The transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) from the United States to South Korea is unlikely to happen during the remaining two years of the Trump administration, former acting U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Joseph Yun said Tuesday. He said there is no consensus in Washington that conditions are met, adding that the same applies to Seoul’s nuclear submarine ambitions and its U.S.…
Former U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Joseph Yun stated on Tuesday that the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) from the United States to South Korea is unlikely to occur during the remaining two years of the Trump administration. Yun emphasized that there is no consensus in Washington regarding the readiness of conditions for such a transfer.
Similar to the OPCON issue, there is also disagreement over South Korea's nuclear submarine ambitions and its pledge to increase U.S. investment. Yun, who served as the State Department's special representative for North Korea policy, made these remarks during the Korea-U.S. Diplomatic Forum, which he attended remotely from the United States.
Yun noted that while conditions are factors, the transfer will never be ready, and he does not foresee it happening rapidly. His comments came a week after the U.S. midterm elections, which resulted in Democrats gaining control of both the House and Senate. The transfer of OPCON has been a topic of contention between the two allies in recent times.
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.
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- OPCON transfer unlikely during Trump's term, ex-US diplomat says koreatimes.co.kr
