South Korea may propose wartime control transfer date

· UPI

June 14 (Asia Today) -- South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back said Sunday that Seoul and Washington plan to recommend a target year for transferring wartime operational control of South Korean forces by the end of this year.

Ahn said during an appearance on KBS television that the allies would discuss verification of their full operational capability assessment at their annual Security Consultative Meeting in November.

"If we complete the full operational capability verification and make a recommendation to the presidents of both countries at the end of this year, we will be able to determine the target year for restoring wartime operational control," Ahn said.

The United States has retained wartime operational control of South Korean forces since the 1950-53 Korean War. South Korea exercises control over its military during peacetime.

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The allies have agreed that the transfer should be based on three conditions: South Korea's military capabilities to lead the combined defense, the alliance's ability to respond comprehensively to North Korean nuclear and missile threats and a regional security environment conducive to a stable transfer.

The first condition includes three stages of evaluating a future South Korea-led Combined Forces Command: initial operational capability, full operational capability and full mission capability.

Ahn said the full operational capability assessment has been completed. Verification expected by the end of the year would allow the allies to begin specifying a timetable for the transfer.

Responding to concerns that the transfer may be premature, Ahn said waiting for every condition to be perfectly satisfied could postpone the process indefinitely.

"New weapons emerge from one day to the next and the nature of the battlefield continues to change," Ahn said. "If we keep treating the conditions this way, we could wait forever."

Although warfare is shifting toward drones and other advanced systems, South Korea has sufficient capabilities to lead combined operations, he said.

Asked whether a future combined command led by a South Korean four-star general could impede coordinated operations or the deployment of U.S. strategic assets, Ahn said the issue had not been discussed.

Ahn acknowledged that Seoul and Washington may have different views on the timing of the transfer.

"Even children raised by the same parents can think differently," he said. "How could two countries have identical views?"

Ahn also discussed the Jangbogo-N project, South Korea's plan to acquire nuclear-powered submarines, describing it as part of the country's transition from a tactical state to a strategic state.

"A tactical state operates within a framework designed by major powers," he said. "A strategic state creates the framework and takes the lead in planning and designing its response during a war or another crisis."

South Korea is preparing to build the first nuclear-powered submarine in the mid-2030s, Ahn said.

He said the country possesses the necessary conventional submarine construction capabilities, advanced nuclear technology and world-class shipyards but lacks access to nuclear fuel suitable for naval propulsion.

South Korea plans to seek U.S. cooperation in obtaining uranium enriched to less than 20%, he said.

Ahn said Seoul and Washington had not yet agreed on where the submarines would be built.

"Building nuclear-powered submarines in another country would be less efficient in terms of costs and technology," he said. "The United States is also coming to understand that position."

Ahn dismissed concerns in some U.S. circles that the project could contribute to nuclear proliferation.

"Low-enriched uranium below 20% cannot be converted easily for use in a nuclear weapon," he said. "South Korea has been a model member of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty."

-- Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

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Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260614010004655