President Lee Jae Myung tours the Shin Chae-ho, a submarine of the Republic of Korea Navy’s Submarine Command, during his visit to a naval base in Jinhae District, Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, Tuesday. Courtesy of Cheong Wa Dae

President Lee Jae Myung’s renewed push for the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) from Washington to Seoul is provoking discussion over the future of the Korea-U.S. alliance and U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) after the transition.

The discussion comes as Seoul accelerates its defense agenda, saying the transfer would be possible "even tomorrow," while Washington increasingly views the alliance in broader regional terms.

Security experts say the issue is gradually moving beyond potential scaling down of the USFK after OPCON transfer toward the more fundamental question of what role the force would play afterward.

Lee has reaffirmed his commitment to pursuing OPCON transfer as soon as possible. His administration initially aimed to take over before the end of his term in 2030, but earlier this year the government seemingly moved up the target date to 2028.

During a meeting at the Navy Submarine Command at Jinhae in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province on Tuesday, Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back said Korea would face “no major problems” even if OPCON was transferred tomorrow. Lee then corrected him, saying it would be more accurate to say there would be “no problem at all.”

“Recovering OPCON is a core element of self-reliant defense and will reinforce South Korea’s leading role in defending the Korean Peninsula,” Lee said, adding that Seoul would work with Washington to finalize a road map, including the timing of the transfer.

The Lee administration's views seem to run counter to the opinion of USFK commander Gen. Xavier Brunson, who said during a U.S. House Armed Services Committee hearing in April that the conditions for OPCON transfer would be met in the first quarter of 2029.

Regardless of the timeline, the Korean government has already begun to look beyond the transfer itself.

During a recent background briefing following the Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD), officials said the two countries have started discussions on the capabilities the alliance would need after OPCON transfer.

Source: Korea Times News