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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\u2019s full mission capability (FMC) assessment and verification for the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) in roughly a year.<\/p>\n
Seoul plans to set a target year for the OPCON transfer after completing this year\u2019s full operational capability (FOC) verification and then begin FMC verification. That sequence raises the possibility of aiming for as early as next year.<\/p>\n
A Defense Ministry official told reporters on the 20th, \u201cIf this year\u2019s FOC verification determines the \u2018X year\u2019 (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.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s SCM.<\/p>\n
Coordination with the U.S., of course, remains necessary.<\/p>\n
The government is working with the United States to develop a roadmap to accelerate the OPCON transfer ahead of this year\u2019s SCM.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe OPCON transfer is decided at the policy and political levels from start to finish,\u201d the official emphasized. \u201cWhat the military provides are recommendations through reporting.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the two governments will soon launch a working group to implement the Joint Fact Sheet that captures the leaders\u2019 agreements.<\/p>\n
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), \u201cThe most important outcome of this trip was agreeing to hold a kickoff meeting to implement the Joint Fact Sheet.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u2019 meeting. They agreed to organize the kickoff meeting and pursue tangible results.<\/p>\n
Hooker is expected to lead a U.S. delegation to South Korea within weeks.<\/p>\n
Separately, a senior government official pushed back on criticism that security items in the fact sheet \u2014 including South Korea\u2019s plans for nuclear-powered submarines \u2014 are progressing too slowly. \u201cThe fact sheet reflects the strong will of both leaders,\u201d he said, adding that because it embodies the leaders\u2019 intent, he did not perceive a major problem with U.S. willingness to implement it.<\/p>\n
On the Coupang issue, which has been cited as a potential source of trade friction between the two countries, the official acknowledged, \u201cIt did have some impact on security discussions,\u201d but added, \u201cI felt U.S. officials viewed the matter more calmly and with balance. The situation itself has improved considerably.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The assessment of the Future Combined Command’s Full Mission Capability for the transfer of wartime operational control may conclude in a year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/cdn-union.tenbizt.com\/contents\/crawler-dev\/thumbnail\/2026\/05\/CP-2023-0083\/thumb-6e6358fc-f39d-497a-9cf6-95412790bd4e.jpg","footnotes":""},"categories":[278093],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-262922","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"\n