As South Korea and the US accelerate the transfer of wartime operational control, the 58th Korea-US Security Consultative Meeting (SCM), scheduled to be held in Washington, DC in October, is expected to present the target year for operational control transfer.
It is reported that there is a high possibility that 2028 will be presented as the target year to realize the transfer of wartime operational control during the terms of President Lee Jae-myung and US President Donald Trump.
According to government sources on the 4th, South Korea and the US plan to complete verification related to Full Operational Capability (FOC), the second stage of the assessment and verification process for the transfer of wartime operational control, and receive approval from the defense ministers of both countries at the SCM before the 58th SCM.
As the defense ministers of South Korea and the US approve the FOC verification results, they will select the target year for the transfer of wartime operational control, with 2028 before the end of President Trump's term (January 20, 2029) being a strong candidate.
The assessment and verification for the transfer of wartime operational control proceeds in three stages: ▲ Initial Operational Capability (IOC) ▲ Full Operational Capability (FOC) ▲ Full Mission Capable (FMC). Currently, the FOC evaluation has been completed and the verification process is underway. The FOC verification process is also in the final stage, with only verification of the Future Combined Forces Command remaining.
Upon completion of FOC verification, the defense ministers of South Korea and the US will present the target year for the transfer of wartime operational control and will determine a more specific transfer timing while proceeding with the final stage of FMC.
