The South Korean Ministry of National Defense (MND) on Tuesday said Seoul and Washington will need to create a new combined command once wartime operational control (OPCON) is transferred to South Korea.

The clarification came in response to a claim by defense minister Song Young-moo that the pre-existing ROK- U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC) would not be disbanded in the event of OPCON transfer.

Speaking at a forum held by the Korea Institute for Maritime Strategy, the Minister of National Defense (MND) said Seoul plans to regain OPCON without dissolving the CFC – a major logistic challenge.

“The U.S. forces will