Amid differences of opinion on meeting the conditions for wartime operational control… ROK and US defense ministers likely to meet for the first time at the end of this month

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Hyo-jung = While South Korea and the United States are showing differences of opinion on whether the conditions for wartime operational control (OPCON) transfer will be met, it has been reported that discussions are underway for a first face-to-face meeting between Minister of National Defense Kang Shin-cheol and U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth at an international conference at the end of this month.

According to government authorities on the 14th, Minister Kang plans to attend the ASEAN Enlarged Defense Ministers' Meeting (ADMM+) to be held in the Philippines from the 27th to the 30th of this month.

The ASEAN Enlarged Defense Ministers' Meeting is attended by defense ministers from 11 ASEAN countries and eight dialogue partner countries, including Korea and the United States.

Minister Kang met with a Yonhap News reporter at the Ministry of National Defense building this morning and was asked if he was coordinating a meeting with Minister Hegseth at ADMM+, to which he replied, "We are discussing to meet for now."

It is unclear whether it will be an informal meeting in the form of a so-called 'pull-aside' or a formal meeting, but if the ROK and US defense ministers attend ADMM+ side by side, there is likely to be a face-to-face opportunity in some form.

As the annual ROK-U.S. Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) between the defense ministers of the two countries, which is usually held from late October to early November, is being coordinated later than usual, attention is being paid to whether there will be an opportunity for the defense ministers of the two countries to exchange opinions on issues such as wartime operational control ahead of the meeting.

It is known that Korea and the United States are discussing a plan to hold this year's SCM, which is scheduled to be held in the United States, in December, unlike previous years.

It is known that the replacement of South Korea's defense minister and the midterm elections in the United States in November had an impact. It is reported that the annual ROK-US Military Committee Meeting (MCM) hosted by the Chairman of the ROK-US Joint Chiefs of Staff, which is usually held immediately before the SCM, may be adjusted from the originally expected date of early next month.

An official from the Ministry of National Defense said, "We are discussing SCM and MCM with the U.S. War Department and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, considering mutually available schedules, etc.," and added, "No specific details have been confirmed."

Some interpret that the delay in the SCM and MCM schedules may be related to the situation where differences of opinion remain between South Korea and the United States over whether the conditions for the transfer of wartime operational control are met.

The government has aimed to complete the verification of the Future Combined Forces Command's full operational capability (FOC) at this year's SCM, derive the year of OPCON transfer (Year X), and recommend it to the presidents of both countries.

However, it appears that Korea and the United States have not yet reached a consensus on whether the conditions for completing FOC verification have been met. If FOC verification is not completed in SCM this year, there may be a disruption in the wartime operational control transfer schedule that the government had in mind.

General Xavier Brunson, commander of U.S. forces in Korea, said regarding the transfer of wartime operational control in a conversation hosted by the U.S. think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) the previous day, "I will explain (to the U.S. president) what the risks will be if this is implemented without fully meeting the set conditions, such as securing the necessary core capabilities."

Minister Kang told Yonhap News, "We are continuing to discuss the conditions for the transfer of wartime operational control." When asked, "Is the U.S. position that it has not yet been met?" he answered, "There are some areas where we have different perspectives."

However, he repeatedly emphasized that there are currently not many differences of opinion between Korea and the United States, saying, "Something that is 'science' can be changed to something that is 'art'."

This can be interpreted as the intention that even if there are differences of opinion on the numerically evaluated conditions for the transfer of wartime operational control, a consensus can be reached through political discussions between the two countries.

An official from the Ministry of National Defense said, “We plan to resolve some remaining differences through SCM through consultations between Korea and the United States.”