Korea is seeking to set a target year for wartime operational control (OPCON) transfer from Washington to Seoul during a Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) with the U.S. this October, the Ministry of National Defense said Wednesday. The move follows earlier attempts by the Korean government to complete the transfer by 2028 or even as early as the end of 2027 — a push that has drawn concern from U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), which firmly maintains the position that the transfer should remain conditions-based. The ministry presented the plan to President Lee Jae Myung during a policy briefing at the presidential office in Seoul. It said it would complete the road map for OPCON transition in the second half of the year and seek a decision on the target year at the 58th SCM. It will also report the results of its assessment of Full Operational Capability (FOC), the second stage of the three-stage transfer conditions, and seek certification of second-stage completion. Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back said the two countries had built consensus on accelerating the transfer through high-level consul