Seoul sticks to existing agreement on OPCON transfer as US signals new conditions

The South Korean military said Thursday it would stick to an existing agreement on conditions for wartime operational control (OPCON) transfer from Washington to Seoul, despite a warning from the top U.S. commander in Korea that changing security threats require new standards. It showed discomfort over U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson’s remarks on the need to change standards and conditions for the transition because “the transfer would never be possible” under the existing standards. The military said it has not decided whether to accept new conditions if the U.S. proposes new ones. “The principle that OPCON will be transferred once the conditions mutually agreed upon by South Korea and the United States are met remains unchanged,” ministry spokesperson Chung Binna said at a briefing. It said the two countries are closely consulting on the transfer issue according to the Conditions-based Operational Control Transition Plan (COTP), which was agreed upon in 2015. The allies have been verifying South Korea’s capabilities in three stages under the COTP, and