South Korea says retaking wartime operational control from US would upgrade alliance

Seoul, Nov 4 South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung said Tuesday that South Korea's retaking of its wartime Operational Control (OPCON) from the United States within his term would serve as a major opportunity to upgrade the bilateral alliance.

Lee made the remarks during a meeting with US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth at his office, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a written briefing, as Seoul and Washington held annual security talks to discuss ways to modernise the alliance.

"The early recovery of wartime operational control within my term would serve as an important opportunity to further deepen and develop the alliance between the Republic of Korea and the US," Lee was quoted as saying, Yonhap News Agency reported. His five-year term ends in 2030.

"If the Korean military's capabilities are significantly strengthened and the Republic of Korea takes a leading role in defending the Korean Peninsula, the US defence burden in the Indo-Pacific region will also be reduced," he added.

Seoul's push for the transfer comes as the South Korean military has stepped up efforts to advance its independent defence capabilities, with Washington calling on Seoul to undertake greater security responsibilities.

The two countries have been working on the conditions-based OPCON transition. South Korea handed over operational control of its troops during the 1950-53 Korean War. It retook peacetime OPCON in 1994, but wartime OPCON still remains in US hands.

Lee also expressed gratitude over US President Donald Trump's decision to allow South Korea to secure nuclear-fuel submarines, saying it would "significantly upgrade the Korean military's capabilities and development of the bilateral alliance."

Hegseth welcomed South Korea's decision to increase its defence spending and bolster defence capabilities through the advanced conventional weapons and the pursuit of nuclear-powered submarines, according to Kang.

The Pentagon chief also expected increased cooperation in the shipbuilding industry, including joint production of naval vessels, would contribute to the defence capabilities of both nations, the spokesperson noted.

During his talks with Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back earlier in the day, Hegseth said Washington would make efforts to help implement Trump's pledge to allow South Korea to build nuclear-powered submarines in a US shipyard.

The approval came after Lee asked Trump during their summit on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in the southeastern city of Gyeongju last Wednesday to allow Seoul to secure nuclear fuel for the nuclear-powered submarine.

Trump said in a social media post the following day that he had approved South Korea to build a nuclear-powered submarine at a Philadelphia shipyard operated by Hanwha Ocean.

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