Lee vows to swiftly retake wartime command from U.S., speed up military reform including selective conscription

▲ President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a meeting with military commander held at the defense ministry in Seoul on March 27, 2026. (Yonhap)

Lee-military leaders

Lee vows to swiftly retake wartime command from U.S., speed up military reform including selective conscription

By Kim Eun-jung

SEOUL, March 27 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung said Friday South Korea will swiftly take steps for its planned retaking of wartime operational control of its military from the United States and speed up military reforms, including selective conscription.

Lee made the remarks during a meeting with top military brass at the defense ministry in Seoul, where he called on the armed forces to step up their readiness posture to cope with a "grave" security situation amid a prolonged war in the Middle East and movements by North Korea to install iron fences inside the northern side of the Demilitarized Zone.

"Self-reliant defense capability is essential to respond to the rapidly changing security environment," Lee said. "The retaking of wartime operational control will be swiftly pursued."

Lee noted that North Korea has begun work to reinforce its border along the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) inside the DMZ separating the two Koreas.

"The military's top priority is to maintain the highest level of readiness to respond to any provocation or threat," Lee said. "(I) urge the military to maintain a robust combined defense posture based on the Korea-U.S. alliance."

(END)

(C) Yonhap News Agency. All Rights Reserved