South Korea, US to Set Wartime Control Handover Timeline at Security Consultative Meeting

South Korea and the United States will establish a timeline for the handover of wartime operational control to Seoul during this year's annual ministerial meeting, with the plan to be proposed to the leaders of both countries, according to South Korea's defense ministry.

The USFK commander stated that the allies aim to meet conditions required for the transfer no later than the first quarter of 2029. S.

military authorities, the defense ministers will decide on the timeline in the Security Consultative Meeting and propose it to the presidents of the two countries, a ministry spokesperson said in a regular briefing. The Security Consultative Meeting is an annual defense ministerial gathering held every autumn in either Seoul or Washington.

The handover of wartime operational control remains conditions-based, with South Korea seeking to achieve it within President Lee Jae Myung's five-year term that ends in 2030.

N. Command during the 1950-53 Korean War. It was then transferred to the two allies' Combined Forces Command when the command was launched in 1978. South Korea retook only peacetime operational control in 1994.

S. forces, its strike and air defense capabilities, and a regional security environment conducive to such a handover. S. general playing a supporting role.