Washington: South Korea and the United States have agreed to enhance cooperation to achieve "shared security goals," as announced by the South Korean defense ministry. This agreement comes amid ongoing discussions about the timeline for Seoul to regain wartime command from Washington.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the understanding was reached after the two-day Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD) held in Washington. The talks highlighted differing perspectives between the allies regarding the timeline for South Korea's retaking of wartime operational control (OPCON) from the U.S., a significant defense objective under the Lee Jae Myung administration.
During the meeting, the allies evaluated their overall defense cooperation and discussed strategies to strengthen a combined defense posture. A joint statement released by the Pentagon emphasized the meeting's role in fostering "practical cooperation" to reinforce the longstanding alliance and expressed optimism for further collaboration to achieve shared security aims on the Korean Peninsula and across the Indo-Pacific region.
Both nations also agreed to pursue cooperation actively to fulfill defense-related commitments outlined in a joint summit agreement adopted last year. The meeting was co-led by Kim Hong-cheol, South Korea's deputy defense minister for policy, and John Noh, U.S. assistant secretary of war for Indo-Pacific security affairs.
While the KIDD meeting is a crucial platform for discussing the OPCON transfer, the joint statement did not include specific discussions on this topic. Last month, U.S. Forces Korea commander Gen. Xavier Brunson informed Congress that both countries aim to meet conditions for the transfer by the first quarter of 2029. Meanwhile, Seoul is targeting the OPCON transfer during President Lee's term, which ends in 2030, with hopes to achieve it by 2028.
In a recent speech, Brunson expressed concerns about the potential risks of acting prematurely in securing his host country. Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back also noted "some differences" in the U.S. position during his talks in Washington, without providing details.
The allies' defense ministers had previously agreed to finalize the target year for the OPCON transfer. Discussions likely included Seoul's interest in acquiring nuclear-powered submarines and the Lee government's pursuit of civilian access control over parts of the military buffer zone bordering North Korea.
Launched in 2011, KIDD serves as a significant senior-level defense meeting between the allies, with the previous session taking place in September last year.