The Korea Times

Korea seeks to set OPCON transfer timeline at October security talks with US

Korea is seeking to set a target year for wartime operational control (OPCON) transfer from Washington to Seoul during a Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) with the U.S. this October, the Ministry of National Defense said Wednesday. The move follows earlier attempts by the Korean government to complete the transfer by 2028 or even as early as the end of 2027 — a push that has drawn concern from U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), which firmly maintains the position that the transfer should remain conditions-based. The ministry presented the plan to President Lee Jae Myung during a policy briefing at the presidential office in Seoul. It said it would complete the road map for OPCON transition in the second half of the year and seek a decision on the target year at the 58th SCM. It will also report the results of its assessment of Full Operational Capability (FOC), the second stage of the three-stage transfer conditions, and seek certification of second-stage completion. Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back said the two countries had built consensus on accelerating the transfer through high-level consul

Aug 5, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji

Korea seeks to set OPCON transfer timeline at October security talks with US

Defense

Military seeks closer coordination with US forces after drone misidentification

The Korean military has shifted its focus from assigning blame to preventing a recurrence after an internal investigation into last week's misidentification of a U.S. Marine Corps drone found procedural shortcomings on both sides. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) concluded that failures by both Korea and the U.S. contributed to the incident, in which a U.S. drone flying during a bilateral exercise was mistaken for an unidentified aircraft, triggering the military's highest-level counter-drone response. These findings have prompted follow-up measures aimed at strengthening airspace coordination while broader command responsibilities also came under review. According to the JCS, a working-level officer at the Army’s 1st Corps received a text message from the U.S. side a day before the flight but failed to relay the information to higher headquarters or relevant units. The text referenced only a previously approved live-fire altitude, but an official document attached as a photo to the message specified the drone's actual planned flight altitude — the detail that should have triggered a

Aug 4, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji

Military seeks closer coordination with US forces after drone misidentification

Politics

What's left before Korea's prosecution reform takes effect

A bill stripping prosecutors of their power to conduct supplementary investigations has passed the National Assembly and Cabinet approval, shifting attention to the remaining steps before the overhaul takes effect, including promulgation, follow-up legislation and possible proceedings before the Constitutional Court. Opposition parties, including the People Power Party (PPP) and the Reform Party, called on President Lee Jae Myung to exercise his veto, but Lee said the situation did not rise to the level of overriding the legislature's authority. "Exercising a veto is not something that can be done simply because of a difference of opinion," Lee said. "According to the principle of separation of powers, one can only deny the other branch's authority if its exercise of power itself violates the separation of powers or the constitutional order. It is hard to see that the current situation has reached that point." Lee left open the possibility of further revisions, addressing concerns over a potential overreach of police power and vowing to closely monitor and swiftly correct any shortcomin

Aug 4, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji

What's left before Korea's prosecution reform takes effect

Defense

Defense ministry launches new counterintelligence headquarters

The Ministry of National Defense on Monday officially launched the Defense Counterintelligence Headquarters, establishing a new military organization responsible for counterintelligence as part of a broader restructuring of the former Defense Counterintelligence Command. Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back presided over the inauguration ceremony at the headquarters in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, attended by senior military officers, defense officials and personnel assigned to the new organization. “We must uproot the bad practices of the past and rebuild this organization as a professional agency focused solely on its proper mission,” Ahn said during the inauguration ceremony. “Transparency and professionalism must ultimately lead to one thing — public trust.” According to the ministry, the headquarters was formally established on Friday under a presidential decree issued last month. The move follows the dismantling and reorganization of the former Defense Counterintelligence Command, which became embroiled in former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s Dec. 3 martial law declaration. The min

Aug 3, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji

Defense ministry launches new counterintelligence headquarters

Politics

Lee returns from overseas trip with economic security gains, domestic tests ahead

President Lee Jae Myung returns home Monday after wrapping up the longest overseas trip of his presidency, an 11-day tour encompassing Germany, the United States and three South American countries that focused on securing artificial intelligence (AI) partnerships and broadening supply chains for critical minerals and energy. The trip offered the clearest picture yet of Lee’s economic diplomacy. Rather than centering on traditional security issues, he sought to strengthen Korea’s position in the global AI race while expanding access to strategic resources needed for semiconductors, batteries and other advanced industries. Attention now turns to whether those diplomatic gains can be translated into domestic policy and tangible economic results. Lee began the tour on July 24 in San Francisco, where he unveiled the San Francisco AI Declaration and laid out his vision for Korea’s role in the global AI industry. “Korea will become an indispensable player in the global AI supply chain,” Lee said. “Building on our world-leading expertise in memory chips and manufacturing capabilities

Aug 2, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji

Lee returns from overseas trip with economic security gains, domestic tests ahead

Defense

Rising defense exports test supply chain resilience

An explosion at Hanwha Aerospace’s missile production facility in Daejeon in June has renewed concerns about the resilience of Korea’s defense supply chain, where many critical weapons components often rely on a single qualified manufacturer. Although authorities have not confirmed any impact on production or export deliveries, defense officials and industry sources say the accident has exposed a long-standing vulnerability at a time when Korea's defense exports are growing faster than ever. The issue resurfaced following last month's explosion at Hanwha Aerospace’s Daejeon facility during a process to clean explosive residue from molds used to manufacture missile propellant. Authorities launched an investigation into the cause of the accident and ordered a partial halt of the facility's operation. The Daejeon facility was producing components for various weapons systems, including Chunmoo multiple rocket launchers, long-range surface-to-air missiles and Cheongung-II systems, also known as KM-SAM Block II. Authorities and the companies have not reported any disruption to deliverie

Jul 24, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji

Rising defense exports test supply chain resilience

Politics

5th-term Seoul mayor fights for political survival

Just weeks after winning an unprecedented fifth term as Seoul mayor, Oh Se-hoon now finds himself fighting for his political survival after a Seoul court fined him 10 million won ($6,820) Wednesday for violating the Political Funds Act, a sentence that would cost him his mayoralty if upheld. Under the special counsel law's "6-3-3 rule," the case must clear the appeals court within three months and the Supreme Court within another three. With the first ruling handed down Wednesday, the appeals court would technically be required to rule by Oct. 22, with the Supreme Court completing its review by Jan. 22. If that timetable holds, Oh could learn within six months whether he remains Seoul mayor and whether he retains any realistic path to the presidency. The Seoul Central District Court found Oh guilty of receiving polling results from political broker Myung Tae-kyun ahead of the 2021 mayoral by-election and having businessman Kim Han-jung cover part of the cost. Of 10 polls cited by prosecutors, the court found that Oh had commissioned five — three private polls and two published polls

Jul 23, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji

5th-term Seoul mayor fights for political survival

Politics

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon fined $6,760 in political funds case, threatening mayorship if upheld

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon was convicted Wednesday of violating the Political Funds Act and fined 10 million won ($6,760) over opinion polls conducted by political broker Myung Tae-kyun. The sentence, if upheld on appeal, would strip Oh of his mayorship, dealing a critical blow to the political career of one of the nation's most prominent conservative heavyweights. The five-term mayor said he would appeal immediately. The Seoul Central District Court found that Oh commissioned Myung to conduct five opinion polls ahead of the 2021 Seoul mayoral by-election and asked businessman and longtime supporter Kim Han-jung to cover 21 million won in polling costs. “The defendant requested his supporter to pay the polling costs,” the court said in the ruling, adding that the payment constituted an illegal political contribution under the act. “Having served as both a lawmaker and mayor, he had been well aware of the act, but he has kept denying his responsibility ... A sentence that would make him lose the public post is inevitable,” it said. Under Korean law, elected officials lose their office

Jul 22, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon fined $6,760 in political funds case, threatening mayorship if upheld

Politics

AI access is now basic right, presidential policy aide says

Artificial intelligence (AI) should be treated as a basic right rather than a luxury, the presidential policy aide said Tuesday, as the government unveiled plans to expand public access to AI through free access to essential services while strengthening Korea’s domestic AI ecosystem. Presidential Chief of Staff for Policy Kim Yong-beom made the remarks as the Ministry of Science and ICT fleshed out details of its “AI for Everyone” initiative, which aims to provide all citizens with free access to essential AI services built primarily on Korean-developed models. Kim argued that access to AI will increasingly determine opportunities for education, work and economic growth, making it a matter of public policy rather than simply technological advancement. “Access to AI should now be regarded as a basic right,” Kim wrote in a Facebook post titled, “In the AI era, the state organizes the market. “As AI becomes a force that determines people’s opportunities and growth, it is the state’s responsibility to ensure that no citizen is left standing outside that door,” he said. Kim

Jul 21, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji

AI access is now basic right, presidential policy aide says

Politics

Questions persist over defense minister's military service record

Questions surrounding Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back’s military service have resurfaced, with the government and his accuser offering conflicting accounts of what happened more than four decades ago. At the center of the dispute is a gap in Ahn's military record. His record shows he began mandatory service on Nov. 5, 1983 and was discharged on Aug. 31, 1985, amounting roughly 22 months. Territorial defense soldiers at the time normally served for 14 months. His accuser alleges the discrepancy reflects an absence without leave lasting several months, a period of detention and a subsequent order to complete additional service. Ahn and the Ministry of National Defense said he never deserted his unit and attribute irregularities in his military record to administrative errors. The issue first drew wider attention during Ahn’s confirmation hearing as defense minister last year. Rejecting the allegations, Ahn told lawmakers he had never vacated his post. “I never deserted (my post). I have lived my life without anything to be ashamed of,” Ahn told lawmakers. “The military record curren

Jul 20, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji

Bahk Eun-ji

Read more

Korea seeks to set OPCON transfer timeline at October security talks with US

Military seeks closer coordination with US forces after drone misidentification

What's left before Korea's prosecution reform takes effect

Defense ministry launches new counterintelligence headquarters

Lee returns from overseas trip with economic security gains, domestic tests ahead

Rising defense exports test supply chain resilience

5th-term Seoul mayor fights for political survival

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon fined $6,760 in political funds case, threatening mayorship if upheld

AI access is now basic right, presidential policy aide says

Questions persist over defense minister's military service record

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