Park Ji-won is a writer for The Korea Times who has been covering a wide range of topics from Korea’s culture to its politics. An avid journalism enthusiast to the core, Ji-won brings a thoughtful and unique perspective to every topic she covers. On weekends, you'll often find her contemplating life’s purpose on a yoga mat — with a cup of quality tea in hand. A native Korean speaker by birth and fluent in English through her work, she went to college in Japan and is learning Chinese and French — hoping to add Polish, Russian and Thai to the mix.
Defense ministry expands outreach to US Congress over OPCON transfer bill
President Lee Jae Myung shakes hands with Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) during a joint repatriation ceremony between Korea and the United States at Seoul Air Base, June 5. Joint Press Corps
By Park Ji-won
Korea’s defense ministry said Friday it is expanding its outreach to the U.S. Congress in response to a Senate bill that seeks to increase Congress' power to examine the transfer process of wartime Operational Control (OPCON) from Washington to Seoul.
The bill, if passed, could be a major challenge to Seoul's plan to take over the OPCON by 2028 or even as early as the end of 2027.
A defense ministry official said, “(Korea and the U.S.) are in close consultations based on a shared understanding that OPCON transfer will continue to bolster the combined defense posture of the Korea-U.S. on the defense on the Korean Peninsula.”
While adding that it is inappropriate for the ministry to evaluate pending legislation in the U.S. Congress, the official said, “We are actively expanding outreach to Congress.”
The remarks came as the U.S. Senate’s Committee on Armed Services passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2027 on June 11, which obliges the Pentagon chief to report on the transfer roadmap to Congress every 90 days.
The bill reads, “Not later than March 1, 2027, and every 90 days thereafter through 2030, the Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command and the Commander of United States Forces Korea (USFK), shall provide the appropriate committees of Congress with a report on the United States-Republic of Korea roadmap for implementation of the bilateral Conditions-based Operational Control Transition Plan, signed on October 31, 2018."
While the previous bill only mandated a report to Congress if the OPCON transition veered off track, the new bill stipulates that regular progress reports must be submitted throughout the entire transfer process. The move is seen as an attempt by Congress to increase its leverage over both the U.S. administration and Korea, while granting greater authority to the USFK.
Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back speaks during a briefing at the Ministry of National Defense, Seoul, Monday. Yonhap
Differences have emerged between the two allies in determining the target year for the transfer and its details.
The Korean government is pushing to complete the transfer by 2028, or earlier if possible, completing the ongoing full operational capability assessment this year and using the annual Security Consultative Meeting between the allies to establish a target year for the transfer.
Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back recently reaffirmed the target year, saying he plans to share the timeline by the end of this year with both Korean President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump.
Meanwhile, Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander of USFK and Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command, told a congressional hearing in April that the conditions for transfer would be met by the first quarter of 2029.
To become effective, the new bill requires a series of agreements across the Congress and the U.S. government, including full votes in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, as well as the signature of the U.S. president. In the meantime, the Korean government is focuings its outreach on convincing Congress of the need for an expeditious OPCON transition.
Korea handed over control of its troops to the U.S.-led U.N. Command during the 1950-53 Korean War. It was then transferred to the allies' Combined Forces Command in 1978. Seoul regained peacetime operation control in 1994, but wartime OPCON still remains with U.S. authorities.