Seoul plans to retake its wartime operational control from US—Lee
(MENAFN) South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said Seoul’s intention to reclaim wartime operational control (OPCON) from the United States would help “deepen” the alliance between the two countries, according to local reports.
During his meeting with US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in Seoul on Tuesday, Lee emphasized the strategic value of the move. "The early regaining 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 (South Korea) and the US," he said, according to a statement from presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung.
Lee added that strengthening South Korea’s military capabilities would allow Seoul to take the lead in defending the Korean Peninsula, which in turn would reduce Washington’s defense burden in the Indo-Pacific region. His administration aims to complete the OPCON transfer before his term ends in 2030.
The US and South Korea have shared military command arrangements since the Korean War.
South Korea handed over operational control of its forces to the US-led UN Command during the 1950–1953 conflict. Authority was later transferred to the allies’ Combined Forces Command in 1978. While Seoul regained peacetime control in 1994, wartime command remains under US leadership.
Lee also expressed gratitude to US President Donald Trump for approving Seoul’s request to build nuclear-powered submarines, saying the decision would “significantly upgrade the Korean military's capabilities and development of the bilateral alliance.”
According to Kang, Hegseth welcomed South Korea’s decision to boost its defense budget and strengthen its forces with conventionally armed nuclear submarines. Earlier that day, during talks with Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back, Hegseth confirmed that Washington would assist in carrying out Trump’s pledge to let South Korea construct the vessels in a US shipyard.
The approval followed discussions between Lee and Trump in the southeastern city of Gyeongju, where Lee requested permission to secure nuclear fuel for the project. Trump later confirmed in a social media post that the submarine would be built at a Philadelphia shipyard operated by Hanwha Ocean.
Meanwhile, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) reported detecting signs that North Korea had prepared for a potential meeting between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea, though the meeting did not occur.
The NIS also revealed that Pyongyang has sent about 5,000 construction troops to Russia since September to support infrastructure rebuilding efforts amid the war in Ukraine. Additionally, around 10,000 North Korean troops are stationed near the Russia-Ukraine border for surveillance, while 1,000 military engineers have been dispatched to assist with mine-clearing operations, the agency said.
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