Seoul, Washington push key bilateral security dialogue back as friction over Opcon continues

Korea and the United States have agreed to hold their key bilateral security dialogue early next year, the Ministry of National Defense said on Wednesday, postponing the meeting typically held in late October or early November.

The decision came after bilateral talks between Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on the sidelines of a regional defense ministers’ meeting in the Philippines, the ministry said.

The announcement confirmed growing speculation that the allies may push back their annual Security Consultative Meeting amid apparent friction over moving forward with the transition of wartime operational control, or Opcon, from Washington to Seoul.

The secretary and the minister also agreed to hold another round of bilateral talks in Washington next month, the ministry added.

Yonhap