South Korea and the US are considering outlining a timeline for Washington's transition of wartime OPCON to Seoul
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SEOUL — South Korea and the United States are considering outlining a timeline for Washington's transition of wartime operational control (OPCON) to Seoul in their annual defence ministerial talks this year, a source said on Wednesday, with the year 2028 widely considered a likely target schedule.
The move comes as South Korea has been seeking to achieve the "conditions-based" handover of wartime command, currently held by the US, within President Lee Jae Myung's five-year term that ends in 2030.
Under the plan, both sides aim to complete the verification of Seoul's full operational capability (FOC), the second part of a three-stage program to assess its capabilities to lead the allies' combined forces, so that the result can be reviewed for approval by their defence chiefs in the annual Security Consultative Meeting (SCM), reports Yonhap news agency.
Given that US President Donald Trump's term is set to end in January 2029, the year 2028 is viewed as a potential timeline for Seoul's years-long bid to retake OPCON that had been delayed mainly due to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.
A more detailed timeline is expected to be decided once the defence chiefs of the two countries suggest a timeline during the SCM and proceed on to the third and final stage of the verification, the full mission capability (FMC). The FMC is widely regarded as depending on a political assessment made by the leaders of the two countries.
The push is expected to gain momentum as Lee has put an emphasis on the importance of self-reliant defence, and the new US National Defence Strategy stated that South Korea is capable of taking "primary" responsibility to deter North Korea with "critical, but more limited" US support.
During last year's SCM, the defence chiefs of the allies also agreed to develop a road map designed to "expedite" the implementation of conditions for the OPCON transfer.
Last month, Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back reaffirmed such a commitment in a meeting of key defence and military officials, saying this year would mark the start of the retaking of wartime control, which he called a "mission" that must be wrapped up.
South Korea handed over operational control of its troops to the US-led UN Command during the 1950-53 Korean War. It was then transferred to the two allies' Combined Forces Command when the command was launched in 1978.
South Korea retook only peacetime operational control in 1994.
The allies have been working to meet the conditions for the envisioned transition, which include South Korea's capabilities to lead combined Korea-US forces, its strike and air defence capabilities, and a regional security environment conducive to such a handover.
As part of efforts to prepare for the handover, South Korea and the US are reportedly preparing to conduct their annual springtime Freedom Shield exercise next month as planned, which the two sides use to verify the conditions for the transition.