Korea seeks 'top-down' approach with US for breakthrough in OPCON transfer

The Korea Times - Oct 29, 2026

Korea will seek a "top-down" approach with the United States for a breakthrough in the wartime operational control (OPCON) transition, the defense ministry said Thursday, dismissing the view that a delay of the allies' annual security talks signals a setback in the transfer timeline. The allies announced Wednesday the Security Consultative Meeting (SCM), a key dialogue between their defense chiefs, has been pushed back to early next year, following bilateral talks between Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in the Philippines earlier in the day. The ministry said Kang and Hegseth plan to meet again for another round of talks in Washington in December, viewed to be a rare move given that the SCM typically works "bottom-up" — bringing the defense chiefs together to finalize agreements reached during prior working-level consultations between their top military officers. "We intend to produce a successful outcome through a 'top-down' approach, whereby the defense chiefs present a policy direction based on evaluations of military authorities of the two s

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