Defense Ministry Reviews Progress on Wartime Control Transfer

By Kim Hyun-soo

SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- The defense ministry on Wednesday reviewed the progress of Seoul's push to complete the verification of full operational capability (FOC) within this year, as it seeks to expedite the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) from Washington.

The move comes as Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back vowed to hold such meetings every quarter this year as part of efforts to complete the transition within President Lee Jae Myung's five-year term ending in 2030.

FOC refers to the second part of a three-stage program to assess Seoul's capabilities to lead the allies' combined forces for the retaking of wartime control. Seoul is currently in the second phase of the assessment required for the transfer.

Wednesday's meeting came amid what is seen as a possible gap between Seoul and Washington over the timing of the OPCON transfer. Seoul has sought to move up the timeline for the planned transfer, while the U.S. side has highlighted fully meeting the conditions.

The meeting, presided over by Ahn, also touched on the progress of drawing up a road map with the United States, which Seoul hopes to wrap up before the defense chiefs of both countries meet for the annual Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) in October.

During the meeting, Ahn was also briefed on the military's progress in turning the special operations command of the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC) into a standing unit. It plans to transition the command into a permanent unit within the year, according to officials.

Four of the six component commands, including the air, ground and naval components, have completed their transition as standing component commands within the CFC structure.

Through the transition, the component command, previously only activated during contingency operations, will allow American troops to be regularly assigned as members of combined combat staff to jointly establish combined operation plans and plans for large-scale drills.

"Through the military's strenuous efforts over the past 20 years, the military and policy conditions, along with public support, are now in place to restore OPCON immediately," Ahn said, while urging the military to work together to accomplish the "historic mission."

The meeting also discussed ways to enhance the "integrity" of the South Korea-led joint defense posture after it regains wartime operational control from the U.S., the defense ministry said.

South Korea handed over operational control of its troops to the U.S.-led U.N. Command during the 1950-53 Korean War. It was then transferred to the allies' CFC when the command was launched in 1978. Seoul retook peacetime OPCON in 1994, but wartime OPCON still remains in U.S. hands.