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[Herald Economy = Reporters Yun Ho and Moon Hye-hyun] South Korean and U.S. officials say they could complete the Future Combined Forces Command’s full mission capability (FMC) assessment and verification for the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) in roughly a year.
Seoul plans to set a target year for the OPCON transfer after completing this year’s full operational capability (FOC) verification and then begin FMC verification. That sequence raises the possibility of aiming for as early as next year.
A Defense Ministry official told reporters on the 20th, “If this year’s FOC verification determines the ‘X year’ (the year for the OPCON transfer), we will begin the FMC immediately. Once the FMC assessment and verification are completed, we will enter the final stage of the OPCON transfer.”
After the FMC verification is complete for the command that would lead wartime ROK-U.S. combined operations, the defense ministers of both countries would recommend a transfer date to their presidents.
The government believes it can complete the FMC assessment and verification in about a year. Officials say it is conceivable to propose 2027 as the transfer target at the October Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) and, after finishing the FMC work, recommend a specific date within 2027 at next year’s SCM.
Coordination with the U.S., of course, remains necessary.
The government is working with the United States to develop a roadmap to accelerate the OPCON transfer ahead of this year’s SCM.
“The OPCON transfer is decided at the policy and political levels from start to finish,” the official emphasized. “What the military provides are recommendations through reporting.”
Meanwhile, the two governments will soon launch a working group to implement the Joint Fact Sheet that captures the leaders’ agreements.
On this point, First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo, who is visiting the U.S., told the Korean press corps in Washington on the 20th (local time), “The most important outcome of this trip was agreeing to hold a kickoff meeting to implement the Joint Fact Sheet.”
Park met the previous day with Allison Hooker, U.S. State Department Under Secretary for Political Affairs, at a ROK-U.S. deputy foreign ministers’ meeting. They agreed to organize the kickoff meeting and pursue tangible results.
Hooker is expected to lead a U.S. delegation to South Korea within weeks.
Separately, a senior government official pushed back on criticism that security items in the fact sheet — including South Korea’s plans for nuclear-powered submarines — are progressing too slowly. “The fact sheet reflects the strong will of both leaders,” he said, adding that because it embodies the leaders’ intent, he did not perceive a major problem with U.S. willingness to implement it.
On the Coupang issue, which has been cited as a potential source of trade friction between the two countries, the official acknowledged, “It did have some impact on security discussions,” but added, “I felt U.S. officials viewed the matter more calmly and with balance. The situation itself has improved considerably.”
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