Seoul pushes road map for completing OPCON transfer as early as next year

Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back, right, walks with U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth before their meeting at the Pentagon in Washington, May 11. Courtesy of Ministry of National Defense

The transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) to the Korean military could take place as early as next year, as Seoul moves to finalize a bilateral road map this year and enter the final verification stage of the Future Combined Forces Command.

The Ministry of National Defense is seeking to complete the ongoing full operational capability (FOC) assessment this year and use the annual Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) between the allies to establish a target year for the transfer.

Once that target year is set, the allies would move directly into the final full mission capability (FMC) verification stage, a defense ministry official said Wednesday.

The OPCON transfer process consists of three phases designed to assess the readiness of the future combined command, which would be led by a Korean four-star general: initial operational capability (IOC), FOC and FMC. The allies are currently in the FOC phase after completing an earlier IOC assessment.

Officials estimate that the FMC phase will take roughly one year. If the final verification proceeds on schedule, officials believe the transfer could become feasible as early as next year, though no target date has been officially set.

The discussion comes as Seoul and Washington continue to convey subtle differences over timing.

Officials from Korea and the United States attend the 28th Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue in Washington, May 13. The meeting focused on wartime operational control transfer, alliance modernization and other bilateral defense issues. Courtesy of Ministry of National Defense

Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) and Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command, told a congressional hearing last month that a road map targeting the second quarter of fiscal year 2029 had been submitted to the Pentagon.

Seoul, however, has distanced itself from interpreting the remarks as a jointly agreed-upon timeline.

The defense ministry official said the allies had not agreed on such a road map, adding that the commander may have used the term while explaining internal planning material. The official also emphasized that the transfer remains “a policy and political matter.”

“Wartime OPCON transfer is decided at the policy and political level from beginning to end,” the official said, adding that military authorities serve in an advisory role through their assessment and reports.

The official added that while military evaluations remain the foundation of the process, political decisions could still shape the timeline if the security environment is judged to have become more urgent.

USFK has maintained its long-standing position that OPCON transfer should remain conditions-based.

In response to recent discussions, USFK reiterated that “objective and professional military advice” remains essential and that the transfer process continues to be guided by established conditions rather than timelines.

Meanwhile, Seoul continues to work on a broader road map intended to guide not only the transfer itself but also post-transfer preparations.

The defense ministry official said the allies had initially aimed to complete the road map during the spring session of the Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue, but additional elements still needed to be incorporated.

“It will be completed before the SCM, and it will include preparations both for the OPCON transfer itself and for the post-transfer period,” the official said.

He also disclosed that discussions had already begun on the post-transfer phase.

“Talks have started on what capabilities Korea and the U.S. should further develop after the wartime OPCON transfer,” the official said.