Seoul, Washington coordinating ‘closely’ on Opcon transfer year, defense chief says

Korea and the United States are closely coordinating on setting a target year for Seoul's retaking of wartime operational control (Opcon) from Washington, Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul said Monday.

His remarks came after U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson's recent comments that "conditions have changed" for Korea to retake Opcon have drawn pushback from Seoul.

"The Korean and U.S. authorities are closely coordinating on completing the full operational capability [FOC] certification and determining the 'year X' for the Opcon transfer," Kang said during a parliamentary audit.

The Lee Jae Myung administration wants to retake Opcon before the president's term ends in 2030, or even earlier. But the United States has taken a more prudent approach, expressing reservations about rushing to complete the handover out of political considerations.

The defense chiefs of Korea and the United States are widely expected to hold the Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) in Washington in December to discuss a range of alliance and security issues, including the handover of wartime operational control.

When asked whether Seoul has a contingency plan if the United States does not want to set the Opcon transfer target year at the upcoming SCM, Kang said Seoul is "closely" coordinating with Washington, though it can review various measures.

Under the three-stage Opcon transition plan, the allies are undergoing the second phase to verify Seoul's capabilities to lead the allies' combined forces.

While Seoul hopes to wrap up the FOC certification at the upcoming SCM, discrepancies remain between the allies over whether the conditions for the assessment have been met.

Meanwhile, Kang said he is in discussions with the United States on using alternative airports for U.S. reinforcements in case of contingencies, as a military airport in the southwestern city of Gwangju will be relocated to support a major chip cluster project.

Gwangju Air Base currently serves as one of five collocated operating bases, a military air logistics base for receiving and handling U.S. personnel and equipment in the event of a contingency.

"We are discussing utilizing alternative airports to serve as aerial ports of debarkation with the United States," Kang said, adding that the issue should be resolved in a "top-down" manner.

Yonhap