Timing for OPCON Transfer to Be Decided Within This Year

Defense Ministry Briefing and Permanent Establishment of the Combined Component Command

The government, which is accelerating the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON), has reaffirmed its plan to determine the timing of the transition at this fall's South Korea-U.S. Security Consultative Meeting (SCM), aiming to create a 'historic turning point.' The government also plans to partially conduct evaluations related to the fulfillment of OPCON transition conditions during this month's regularly scheduled South Korea-U.S. combined military exercise, "Ulchi Freedom Shield" (UFS).

Yonhap News

On the morning of August 5, the Ministry of National Defense reported during a work briefing at the Blue House that it will concentrate national defense capabilities in the latter half of the year to complete the roadmap for regaining OPCON, and to pursue the verification of Full Operational Capability (FOC) for the Future Combined Forces Command and decide on the timing of OPCON transfer at this year's SCM. In relation to this, Vice Minister of National Defense Lee Doohee emphasized to reporters the previous day, "We will strive to create a historic and groundbreaking turning point through the verification of FOC and the determination of the timing for regaining OPCON at the SCM."

The government plans to report the results of the FOC verification of the Future Combined Forces Command at the SCM to be held this fall. At the meeting, the South Korean and U.S. defense ministers would approve the results, and then recommend to their respective military commanders the target year ("Year X") for OPCON transfer. The three conditions required for OPCON transfer are: ▲ the military capabilities necessary for leading combined defense; ▲ the alliance's comprehensive ability to respond to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats; and ▲ a security environment on the Korean Peninsula and in the region that is conducive to stable OPCON transfer. To complete FOC verification, it must be determined that a certain level of capability has been achieved in the assessments of the first and second conditions. The government explained that a portion of these capability assessments could be conducted during this month's UFS exercise. However, overcoming the conservative stance of the U.S. Forces Korea regarding whether South Korea has met the conditions for OPCON transfer remains a challenge.

The government will also continue to pursue the formal establishment (institutionalization) of the Combined Component Command, of which four out of six components have already been completed. This year, the aim is to complete the permanent establishment of the Combined Special Operations Component Command, and by next year, to institutionalize the last remaining Combined Military Intelligence Support Operations Component Command as well. Additionally, the Ministry of National Defense announced that it will accelerate relevant legislative efforts, such as enacting a special act within the year, to proceed with the construction of a nuclear-powered submarine.

Particularly, Minister Ahn Kyubaek stated, "In consultation with the United States, we will secure nuclear fuel and establish a nuclear fuel management system in cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), thereby fully establishing the legal and institutional foundation necessary to launch the nuclear-powered submarine project by 2027." This suggests that external agreements to secure nuclear fuel for the submarine will also be concluded, essentially by next year. Nonetheless, security negotiations between South Korea and the United States have not progressed significantly in recent times.

The government also put forward plans to strengthen independent deterrence capabilities by expanding key forces such as high-power missiles and the next-generation Korean fighter jet KF-21, and to accelerate the development of advanced weapons using high-output lasers for low-cost, high-efficiency, and to operate these in conjunction with the Korea Air and Missile Defense (KAMD) system.

Specifically, the government presented a timeline for deploying high-output laser weapons: equipping 50kW-class systems (for countering drones) by the early 2030s; 300kW-class systems (for countering rockets and cruise missiles) by the mid-2030s; and 1MW-class systems (for countering ballistic missiles) by the 2040s.

In addition, the plan is to complete revisions to the National Armed Forces Organization Act within the year in order to reorganize the Marine Corps into a "quasi-four-branch structure." Meanwhile, the Ministry of National Defense will also release a proposal for structural reform of the military to adapt to the declining conscription population and changing nature of future warfare, as part of a new master plan for national defense reform that is currently being formulated.

Minister Ahn stated, "In the future, we will seek approval for the basic national defense reform plan through deliberation by the National Defense Reform Committee." Another official from the Ministry of National Defense said, "The reorganization plan is likely to be finalized around the fall." A three-phase reform plan is in development, targeting years 2030, 2035, and 2040. By 2040, the concept is to adjust the total national defense manpower—which includes active-duty soldiers, military service employees, civilian personnel, and standing reserve forces— from the current 560,000 to approximately 500,000.

To minimize shocks, the government intends to implement a gradual structural change, including a partial adjustment of troop size and an increase in advanced capabilities as early as 2030, as part of the first phase. Plans are also being made to raise officer salaries incrementally to levels comparable to similarly skilled and experienced mid-sized companies in similar sectors. Specifically, the goal is to raise the annual pay for entry-level staff sergeants to 40 million won, sergeants to 50 million won, and master sergeants to 72 million won by 2029. Minister Ahn added, "We are working to achieve the 40 million won annual salary goal for staff sergeants a year ahead of schedule, in 2028."

Additionally, the government emphasized that it will finalize the relocation site for Gwangju military airport, where a semiconductor cluster in the Honam region will be established, by the end of the year and thereby efficiently support the government's megaproject. Currently, Muan County has been selected as the preliminary relocation candidate for the Gwangju military airport. After presenting concrete support measures for Muan County, the plan is to designate it as the relocation candidate within this month and complete all procedures, including public hearings and a resident vote, to select the final relocation site by year-end.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.