▲ Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back (L) poses with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ahead of their talks at the Pentagon near Washington on May 11, 2026, in this photo provided by the South Korean defense ministry. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)

(LEAD) defense ministry-OPCON transfer

(LEAD) S. Korea sees potential wartime operational control transfer as early as next year

(ATN: ADDS more details from 9th para)

By Kim Seung-yeon

SEOUL, May 21 (Yonhap) -- South Korea believes that the final verification stage for its retaking wartime operational control (OPCON) from the United States can be completed in about one year, potentially paving the way for the transition as early as next year, according to a source Thursday,

The allies are working on the OPCON transfer, based on a three-phase assessment framework aimed at vetting Seoul's capabilities to lead the allies' combined forces after the transition.

They are currently at the second stage of verifying "full operational capability (FOC)" and plan to complete the FOC validation by the end of this year so that they can announce a target year for the OPCON transition.

South Korea is seeking to regain wartime OPCON before President Lee Jae Myung's five-year term ends in 2030, amid speculation it is targeting 2028 for the transfer.

Seoul reportedly projects that the final stage of the verification, the full mission capability (FMC), will take less time than the previous two stages, with the process expected to be completed in about one year.

This means that, in theory, if the two sides agree to set 2027 as the earliest possible target year and complete the FMC validation process within that period, the OPCON transfer could possibly occur next year.

"If the target year for the OPCON transfer is decided during this year's FOC validation, we will move straight on to the FMC phase," a defense ministry official told reporters on Wednesday.

"With the completion of the FMC validation, we will enter the end stage of the OPCON transfer," he said.

But it remains uncertain whether Seoul's scenario could be realized as it hopes, given the issue requires close coordination with Washington amid what appears to be their differing views on the timing of the OPCON transfer. The U.S. is believed to maintain a more cautious approach to the timeline.

The allies also plan to come up with a road map to accelerate the OPCON transition before their defense ministers' meeting, known as the Security Consultative Meeting (SCM), scheduled for later this year.

"It has been somewhat delayed as there are still many details to be worked out," the official said. "It will be finalized before (this year's) SCM and will include preparations for the OPCON transfer and the post-transfer period."

During their senior-level defense dialogue last week, Seoul reportedly used the talks to explain in detail its bid to secure control of civilian access to a section of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), the heavily fortified border separating the two Koreas.

The Lee government seeks access control over parts of the southern side of the DMZ and is said to have proposed jointly managing the area currently administered by the United Nations Command overseeing the armistice agreement that ended the 1950-53 Korean War. The U.S.-led UNC has voiced opposition to the move.

"The U.S. side fully understood the need and we could say that there was considerable progress," the official said.

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