South Korea’s Defense Ministry has dismissed a news report suggesting the premature transfer of wartime operational control from the U.S. will lead to the dissolution of the military command responsible for deterring North Korean attack, calling the assertion “speculative” and “unfounded.”

“South Korea and the U.S. will continue to maintain the current Combined Forces Command (CFC) structure even after the wartime operational control (OPCON) transfer to preserve a strong combined defense posture,” ROK Defense Ministry spokesperson Chung Bin-na said in a social media post on Thursday.

Her statement follows a Chosun Ilboreport that said U.S. Forces Korea, the military