S.Korea, US delay key security talks amid Seoul’s demand for return of wartime operational control

The decision to postpone the annual Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) came during a maiden meeting between US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and South Korean Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul, who met in Cebu City of the Philippines.

They are attending the 13th ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus, which also brings together the defense chiefs of China, Japan, Australia, and India, although Beijing this year did not send its defense minister.

According to a statement by the South Korean Defense Ministry, the two sides shared the view on the importance of successfully hosting the historic 58th South Korea-US SCM and “they agreed to … convene the SCM in early 2027.”

Kang and Hegseth will, however, meet again in Washington, DC, in December, the statement added.

The annual SCM is usually held in late October or early November.

"Seoul seeks to regain wartime OPCON (operational control) before the Lee Jae Myung administration's five-year term ends in 2030, pushing to announce a target year for the OPCON transfer at the upcoming SCM," Yonhap News reported.

South Korea hosts around 39,000 American soldiers under a mutual defense treaty, and the administration of South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has committed to restoring command over the forces by the end of his term in 2030.

Hegseth “reaffirmed the United States' commitment to the wartime operational control transition, and both ministers agreed to closely cooperate to ensure the transition proceeds smoothly at the right time,” said the statement.