A US government official said Seoul and Washington agreed that wartime operational control will be handed over on the basis of conditions rather than a deadline, the Chosun Ilbo reported. The Kyunghyang Shinmun reported that Washington asked for stronger ground radio performance to be added to the assessment criteria, and the two defense chiefs are due to meet in the Philippines on the 29th.
The Chosun Ilbo reported on the 28th that a US government official said the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) is something the two countries agreed to carry out on a conditions basis. While the South Korean government has aimed for a transfer within the president's term, the US side again stressed that the yardstick is the fulfillment of conditions rather than a date on the calendar. The specific list of conditions the official referred to, and the full context of the remarks, could not be confirmed in this check.
광고 문의 · 300×250The Kyunghyang Shinmun's report of the 27th on the same issue is more specific. According to that paper, when the two sides consulted on the OPCON transfer around mid-year, the United States asked that strengthening ground communications through the ground-radio upgrade program known as SATURN be included in the new assessment criteria.
The SATURN program and the schedule gap
SATURN is a next-generation communications system built to the standard used by the US military and NATO, and it involves replacing the communications network wholesale. The Kyunghyang Shinmun said South Korea is investing more than 2 trillion won between 2022 and 2032 to convert the radios of the army, navy, air force and marines. Because full fielding is set for 2032, there is a gap with the 2028 transfer target the government is known to be aiming for.
The government therefore plans to finish first those parts of SATURN directly tied to the OPCON assessment so the transfer schedule is not disrupted, the paper said. Under the plan, the relevant work would be completed ahead of time, between 2028 and 2029.
Views on the added criteria
Inside the government there is concern that a steady addition of assessment elements could upset the plan to complete the transfer within the current administration. A government source was quoted by the Kyunghyang Shinmun as saying, in essence, that changing a criterion for one of many weapon systems and adding performance demands would inevitably push the timing back. The same paper reported on the 15th that Washington had also asked for stronger Chunmoo rocket and reconnaissance drone performance, drawing pushback from Seoul.
The Ministry of National Defense said the radio upgrade is a program it has pursued to improve combined defense posture and military capability, and that matters under discussion on OPCON cannot be disclosed. Defense Minister Kang Sin-chul is reported to be set to hold his first talks since taking office with US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on the 29th, on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus in the Philippines. How the two sides reconcile their differences over conditions and timing will be the key point.