South Korea’s defense ministry convened its first high-level meeting of the year on Wednesday to assess progress toward the transfer of wartime operational control from the United States, as Seoul prepares for the critical verification phase of a future combined command against North Korean threats.

The Wartime Operational Control (OPCON) Transition Promotion Assessment Conference was chaired by defense minister Ahn Gyu-back and attended by around 170 officials, including South Korea’s chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the chiefs of staff of the army, navy and air force, the marine corps commandant, the deputy commander of the U.S.-ROK Combined Forces