What did Korea and the United States agree on at the Busan defense talks about wartime OPCON transfer?

Both sides pledged to strengthen cooperation to accelerate the transition of wartime operational control to Seoul. They also said they evaluated the work to modernize the alliance amid an evolving security environment.

Why is Seoul pushing to retake wartime operational control before 2030?

President Lee Jae Myung’s administration is seeking to regain wartime OPCON before the end of its term in 2030. The article says this goal is tied to the government’s broader effort to retake wartime command during Lee’s term.

What other defense cooperation issues did the two sides discuss during KIDD?

They reviewed progress on follow-up measures in defense cooperation under the joint fact sheet on bilateral security and other agreements, as well as last year’s Security Consultative Meeting communique. They also visited major defense industry sites to discuss shipbuilding and aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul activities.

Korea, US vow to strengthen cooperation to accelerate wartime OPCON transition in defense talks

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Summary

Korea and the United States said they will strengthen cooperation to accelerate the transfer of wartime operational control to Seoul during defense talks in Busan from Wednesday to Friday. The 29th Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue came as President Lee Jae Myung’s administration seeks to retake wartime OPCON before 2030. The sides also reviewed follow-up defense cooperation measures and visited defense industry sites.

Key Facts

The allies have worked on the conditions-based wartime OPCON transfer since agreeing to it in October 2014.
The transition conditions include Korea’s ability to lead combined Korea-U.S. forces, its strike and air defense capabilities, and a regional security environment suitable for the handover.
The latest KIDD was led by Seoul’s Deputy Minister for National Defense Policy Kim Hong-Cheol and U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asia George LeMeur.

By Yonhap

Published Sep 19, 2026 9:10 am KST
Updated Sep 19, 2026 2:53 pm KST

Korean and U.S. officials hold senior-level defense talks, called the Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue, in Seoul, Sept. 18, 2023. Courtesy of Ministry of National Defense

Korea and the United States pledged to reinforce cooperation to accelerate the transition of wartime operational control (OPCON) to Seoul from Washington during their senior-level defense talks this week, a joint statement said Friday.

The allies held the 29th Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD) in Korea's southeastern city of Busan from Wednesday to Friday, as President Lee Jae Myung's administration seeks to retake wartime OPCON before the end of its term in 2030.

"Both sides evaluated the work to modernize the alliance in the face of an evolving security environment," they said in the statement.

"They also assessed progress on the Conditions-based Wartime Operational Control Transition Plan, and pledged to strengthen cooperation to accelerate the transition of wartime OPCON," they added.

Seoul and Washington have been working on the conditions-based OPCON transfer since they agreed on it in October 2014. The conditions include Korea's capabilities to lead combined Korea-U.S. forces, its strike and air defense capabilities, and a regional security environment conducive to such a handover.

At the defense talks, the two sides also assessed the progress in implementing follow-up measures in the areas of defense cooperation within the joint fact sheet on bilateral security and other agreements, as well as the joint communique of last year's defense ministerial talks, called the Security Consultative Meeting, according to the statement.

Seoul and Washington released the joint fact sheet in November to outline a series of agreements from last year's summits between Lee and U.S. President Donald Trump.

The latest KIDD gathering was led by Seoul's Deputy Minister for National Defense Policy Kim Hong-Cheol and U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asia George LeMeur.

Aside from the talks, the two sides visited major defense industry sites together to further bolster cooperation in areas of shipbuilding and aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul activities, enhancing mutual understanding on key defense issues, according to the statement.

"The two sides pledged to maintain close and continuous consultations on matters pertinent to the security of the ROK-U.S. Alliance going forward," they said.

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