Minister of National Defense Ahn Gyu-Back (center) on Nov. 14 announces the joint communique of the 57th Security Consultative Meeting at the briefing room of his ministry's headquarters in Seoul's Yongsan-gu District. (Ministry of National Defense)

By Kang Gahui

An agreement with the U.S. will accelerate the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) of Korean and American forces on the Korean Peninsula.

Minister of National Defense Ahn Gyu-Back on Nov. 14 said, "We decided to complete the second stage of the three-stage transfer of wartime operational control by next year," while announcing the joint communique of the 57th Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) at the briefing room of his ministry's headquarters in Seoul's Yongsan-gu District.

The SCM was jointly chaired by Minister Ahn and U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth in Seoul.

"The Secretary and Minister also reviewed ROK (Republic of Korea) progress to fulfill the Conditions-based Operational Control (OPCON) Transition Plan (COTP)," the statement said. "Both leaders reaffirmed that the conditions stated in the bilaterally approved COTP must be met before wartime OPCON is transitioned in a systematic, stable, and proactive manner."

"They shared views that there was a meaningful progress during this year's bilateral evaluation on readiness posture and capabilities."

"The two leaders pledged to develop a roadmap to acquire the capabilities necessary to expedite the fulfillment of conditions required for wartime OPCON transition and to pursue the certification of Full Operational Capability of Future-Combined Forces Command Headquarters in 2026," it added.

The transfer of wartime operational control is measured and verified in three stages: initial operational capability, full operational capability and full mission capability. Evaluation of the second phase was completed and verification is ongoing.

kgh89@korea.kr