🇰🇷🇺🇸 Seoul warns on command transfer

South Korea’s Defence Ministry spokesperson said in Seoul on Oct 15 that repeatedly changing the conditions for wartime operational control transfer from the US could make the handover impossible, though the ministry’s formal position remains adherence to the agreed plan. The comment followed remarks by US Forces Korea commander Xavier Brunson, who said the security environment had changed; the proposed transfer remains tied to a conditions-based process.

The issue concerns the long-running shift of wartime operational control from Washington to Seoul under the US-South Korea alliance. Brunson cited changes in operational plans and North Korea’s recent missile launches as reasons new standards must still be met, while South Korean media report Seoul is targeting 2028 and the US side has floated early 2029.

President Lee Jae Myung wants the transfer completed before 2030. Timing now appears increasingly tied to whether both sides keep the original benchmarks or revise them.

#SouthKorea #UnitedStates

@asianomics