Key facts
- U.S. official: OPCON transfer requirements unchanged but threat environment evolving rapidly.
- Pentagon: OPCON transition is conditions-based, requiring mutual agreement.
- South Korean President Lee Jae Myung seeks early retaking of wartime OPCON.
- USFK Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson cited North Korea's missile launches as a reason for new OPCON transfer standards.
A senior U.S. official told Yonhap News Agency on Tuesday that the fundamental requirements for the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) to South Korea have not changed, but stressed that the threat environment on the Korean Peninsula is evolving rapidly. The official added that both nations must be prepared to deter and defeat all regional threats to the alliance. The Pentagon also reaffirmed that the transition remains a conditions-based process mutually agreed upon by the U.S. and South Korea, emphasizing that necessary conditions must be met before any handover occurs. These remarks come as South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has called for the early retaking of wartime OPCON, stating that Seoul is capable of doing so and that talks are progressing well. The Lee administration aims to retake OPCON before its term ends in 2030, or even earlier. Earlier, U.S. Forces Korea Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson noted that changing conditions, including North Korea's missile launches, necessitate new standards for the OPCON transfer, a sentiment echoed by a South Korean defense ministry spokesperson who suggested the goal might never be achieved if the criteria continually shift.