ISTANBUL
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has told US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that Seoul’s plan to retake its wartime operational control (OPCON) from Washington would serve as an opportunity to “deepen” bilateral ties, according to local media.
Lee made the remarks on Tuesday, during his meeting with Hegseth in Seoul, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a written statement, Yonhap News reported.
"The early regaining of wartime operational control within my term would serve as an important opportunity to further deepen and develop the alliance between the Republic of Korea (South Korea) and the US," said Lee, according to Kang.
"If the Korean military's capabilities are significantly strengthened and the Republic of Korea takes a leading role in defending the Korean Peninsula, the US defense burden in the Indo-Pacific region will also be reduced," he added.
The administration of South Korean President Lee is looking to retake wartime OPCON from the US within its five-year term, which ends in 2030.
South Korea is one of the US’ oldest military allies in Asia, hosting around 28,500 American soldiers on the Korean Peninsula, while the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff holds peacetime OPCON, and the US-led Combined Forces Command holds operational control during war.
During the 1950-1953 Korean War, South Korea placed operational control of its forces under the US-led UN Command. In 1978, that authority was shifted to the allies’ Combined Forces Command.
While wartime operational control has since remained with the US, South Korea regained peacetime control of its military in 1994.
Lee also expressed his thanks to US President Donald Trump over his decision to allow South Korea to build nuclear-powered submarines, noting that it would "significantly upgrade the Korean military's capabilities and development of the bilateral alliance."
According to Kang, Hegseth welcomed South Korea's decision to increase its defense spending and enhance its capabilities through conventionally-armed nuclear submarines.
During his talks with Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back earlier in the day, Hegseth mentioned that Washington would make efforts to help implement Trump's pledge to allow South Korea to build nuclear-powered submarines in a US shipyard.
The approval by Washington came after Lee asked Trump to allow South Korea to secure nuclear fuel for the nuclear-powered submarine during their meeting in the southeastern city of Gyeongju last Wednesday.
Trump said in a social media post the following day that he had approved the construction of a nuclear-powered submarine by South Korea at a Philadelphia shipyard operated by the company Hanwha Ocean.
Separately, South Korea’s national intelligence agency (NIS) said on Tuesday it had detected signs that North Korea had been preparing for a possible meeting between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) gathering in South Korea, but the meeting did not take place.
Trump had expressed his willingness to meet with Kim before his visit to South Korea for the APEC gathering in the southeastern city of Gyeongju last week, but the anticipated meeting did not take place.
The NIS also said that North Korea has sent around 5,000 construction troops to Russia since September amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, likely to be utilized for infrastructure reconstruction efforts.
Also, around 10,000 North Korean soldiers are stationed near the Russia-Ukraine border for surveillance duties, while 1,000 military engineers have been deployed to assist with landmine removal, according to the spy agency.