President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday reaffirmed his commitment to regaining wartime operational control (OPCON) of troops from the United States before his term ends, stressing the importance of self-reliant defense capabilities. The president reiterated the commitment during a Cabinet meeting, saying the OPCON transfer should be completed during his term, as the government initially planned. The president also instructed officials to speed up the implementation of a project to acquire nuclear-powered submarines, saying that independent defense capabilities and a strong alliance between Seoul and Washington should complement each other.