Lee Hyo-jin covers the Bank of Korea, the banking industry and broader financial news. Her previous beats include foreign affairs, North Korea and general reporting on Korean society.
Wartime OPCON transfer seen as key leverage for S. Korea at Lee-Trump summit
President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump / Yonhap, EPA
By Lee Hyo-jin
Seoul may push to revise nuclear energy agreement in response to Trump’s defense demands
The transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) of the military from Washington to Seoul could become a key bargaining chip for President Lee Jae Myung during his upcoming summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, diplomatic observers say.
Their advice comes as the two leaders are scheduled to hold their first meeting in Washington next Monday (local time), a summit that could reshape the security architecture of the decades-old alliance.
Seoul has been under pressure from the Trump administration to shoulder a larger share of the defense burden, which could mean boosting its defense spending in addition to increasing its financial contributions for the stationing of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK). The role of these American troops, particularly if their mission will be expanded to countering China, is also expected to be near the top of the agenda.
As Korea considers how to counter Trump's costly demands and decide what leverage it can bring to the table, experts said that accelerating the OPCON transfer is a potentially useful approach for Lee, who has pledged to complete the OPCON transfer before the end of his term.
Sean King, a U.S. expert on Asia and senior vice president of the New York-based consulting firm Park Strategies, said Trump may welcome Seoul's request for a faster OPCON transfer.
"Trump could see eventual OPCON transfer as a way to lessen what he sadly sees as the U.S.' defense burden in Korea," King said.
Currently, Korea commands its forces in peacetime, but wartime authority lies with the U.S.-led Combined Forces Command, headed by an American general.
Past administrations have held multiple discussions on the matter, yet the transfer has been delayed repeatedly.
Apache helicopters are seen at U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, Monday, the day Korea and the United States kicked off the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise. Yonhap
"I think that South Korea is in a good position to negotiate a faster wartime OPCON transfer, particularly if it commits to increasing its defense budget, including buying U.S. weapons, at the upcoming summit," said Ramon Pacheco Pardo, KF-VUB Korea chair at the Brussels School of Governance.
Some analysts view the upgrade of the Korea-U.S. nuclear energy agreement, last revised in 2015, as another piece of key leverage for Seoul. The agreement prohibits Seoul from enriching and reprocessing nuclear fuels — a measure intended to prevent the materials from being used for military purposes.
During a National Assembly meeting on Monday, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun pointed to issues around nuclear energy, such as enrichment and reprocessing, as examples of what Korea may achieve in the upcoming summit.
Cho, however, cautioned against linking these discussions to Korea developing its own nuclear weapons, saying that such a narrative would not help advance ongoing negotiations.
Henry Haggard, a former U.S. diplomat and senior adviser at the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea, said, "Civil nuclear energy cooperation could serve as one of the areas to highlight the two nations' future cooperation."
He noted that the existing Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) offers a forum for the two countries to determine the best way forward on nuclear weapons.
Haggard also viewed it as likely that Trump would make explicit requests for Korea to increase its defense budget at the upcoming summit, but added that "it is up to the Korean government to determine its best way forward."
According to a recent Washington Post report, during recent trade negotiations, the U.S. pressed Korea to raise its defense budget to 3.8 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP), up from 2.6 percent in 2024.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspects the 5,000-ton Choe Hyon destroyer, Monday, in this photo carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency the next day. Yonhap
North Korea is also expected to be a central topic at the Lee-Trump summit.
"Lee is sure to look favorably upon Trump trying to again talk to Kim Jong-un, as did Lee's predecessor, Moon Jae-in," King said.
Analysts say the meeting could give Seoul an opportunity to position itself as a mediator in any future talks between Washington and Pyongyang.
Trump has hinted at reengagement with the North, while the Lee administration has also made conciliatory gestures, the latest being the president's order on Monday for government agencies to implement existing inter-Korean agreements.
South Korean and U.S. officials are reportedly planning to include denuclearization in the joint statement to be announced after the summit, with speculation rising that the document may make reference to the legacy of the June 2018 Singapore summit between Trump and Kim.
During the historic summit, Kim committed to working toward the "complete denuclearization" of the Korean Peninsula, while both sides agreed to work together to build new U.S.-North Korea relations and foster a lasting peace on the peninsula.
Seoul's Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to share the details of the planned joint statement, only saying that the two leaders are expected to discuss various measures for building peace on the Korean Peninsula and advancing denuclearization goal.