December 07, 2023
News

Seoul pushes for delay of armed forces wartime control

In times of war, the U.S. military takes over operational control of South Korean armed forces

SEOUL - Seoul has again requested that wartime operational control (OPCON) not be transferred from U.S. to South Korean control due to ongoing “national security concerns” and the North Korean “nuclear threat,” the Ministry of Defense said.

OPCON is a military term referring to control of the armed forces during war. Under current terms, the South Korean military would be controlled by the U.S. in the event of a conflict on the Korean Peninsula. The transfer of power is currently scheduled to take place on Dec 1, 2015.