Bahk Eun-ji has been with The Korea Times since 2012, building a career across multiple desks. She began at the Business Desk, where she conducted in-depth interviews with key figures in Korea's corporate world. Later, she moved to the Politics & City Desk, focusing on education policy and social affairs. She later served as team leader of the digital content team, leading curation efforts on the newspaper’s homepage and reshaping print stories for social media audiences to enhance digital reach. Now back on the Politics Desk, she covers the National Assembly and the Ministry of National Defense, with a renewed focus on political developments.
Korea pushes OPCON transfer as US presses for expanded alliance role
Ahn Gyu-back, left, Korea’s defense minister, walks with U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth before their meeting at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., Monday (local time). Courtesy of Ministry of National Defense
By Bahk Eun-ji
Hegseth calls on Korea to stand 'shoulder to shoulder' amid Iran tensions
Differences emerged between Seoul and Washington over the future direction of the alliance during this week’s Korea-U.S. defense ministers’ meeting, as the Lee Jae Myung administration pushes for an earlier transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) while the Donald Trump administration seeks a broader role for Korea as an ally.
Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back and U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth met Monday at the Pentagon to discuss major alliance issues, including OPCON transfer, alliance modernization, maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz and Korea’s potential role in regional security, according to a joint statement released after the talks.
In his opening remarks, Ahn emphasized Seoul’s intention to strengthen what he described as “Korea-led defense” on the peninsula.
“We are also making every effort to secure core national defense capabilities through increased defense spending so that we can realize Korea-led defense of the Korean Peninsula,” Ahn said.
His remarks are aligned with the Lee administration's goal to take over wartime OPCON by 2028, with the two sides currently conducting the second-stage Full Operational Capability verification process for the transfer. The proposed timeline, however, is different from the U.S.' timeline, as Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, recently mentioned the first quarter of 2029 as the target during a congressional hearing.
Hegseth, meanwhile, framed the alliance in broader strategic terms while referring to the U.S. military operation against Iran.
“The U.S. is looking to South Korea — and all partners and allies — to stand shoulder to shoulder with this country during times of conflict,” Hegseth said.
The defense secretary made the remarks amid increasing pressure from the U.S. for Korea to join its initiatives to guarantee safe passage in the Strait of Hormuz, especially after a Korean cargo vessel sustained damage after it was hit by unidentified objects on May 4. While Korea remains cautious in identifying the source of the damage, Trump has claimed the attacks were by Iran.
Hegseth also praised Seoul’s recent commitment to increase defense spending and take on what he described as primary responsibility for the defense of the peninsula, calling it an example of “alliance burden sharing.”
The Pentagon later said expanded burden sharing by allies and partners is one of the four key priorities in the 2026 U.S. National Defense Strategy, alongside homeland defense, deterring China in the Indo-Pacific and strengthening the U.S. defense industrial base.
Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back, second from left, talks with U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, second from right, at the Pentagon in Washington, Monday (local time). Courtesy of Ministry of National Defense
Analysts noted the remarks reflected overlapping but not entirely identical priorities between Seoul and Washington.
Yu Ji-hoon, a research fellow at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses and former Republic of Korea Navy commander, said Washington is increasingly seeking more visible contributions from allies.
“The U.S. wants expanded roles and contributions from allies and partners,” Yu said. “Particularly in connection with the Hormuz situation, Washington is asking Korea and other allies to play more concrete roles.”
Yu said the concept of alliance modernization goes beyond simply updating military cooperation.
“It essentially means the role of the alliance itself is expanding beyond defending the Korean Peninsula,” he said. “That includes the possibility of using U.S. Forces Korea more flexibly in various contingencies outside the peninsula, including issues related to China.”
A defense ministry source familiar with the matter said discussions over OPCON transfer and alliance modernization are closely interconnected.
“There is likely to be a continued process of trade-offs between the two sides,” the source said. “If Seoul wants progress on issues such as OPCON transfer or nuclear-powered submarines, Washington will naturally expect something in return,” the source said, indicating U.S. requests tied to issues such as Hormuz.