The ROK. and U.S. military authorities have agreed to begin verification procedures for the transfer of wartime operational control. According to military officials, if the procedures are carried out smoothly, the South Korean military will have full control as early as 2022. Even if the wartime control is transferred back, the presence of U.S. forces in Korea will continue.
The South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo and the U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis agreed on this matter at the 50th ROK-US Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) on July 31. They also signed a strategic document containing future joint defense posture plans after the transfer of wartime control.
The key condition of the transition is South Korea’s ability to respond to North Korea’s nuclear weapons and missiles. In 2014, the South Korean and U.S. military authorities decided to indefinitely delay the transfer of wartime control until the South Korean military is capable of responding to North Korea’s nuclear weapons and missiles. As a result, verification of the Korean military’s capability is to take place. It will be divided into three stages, and the verification of the South Korea-U.S. combined operational capabilities and nuclear response capabilities will take place every year, sequentially.
The U.S. Forces will continue to be stationed even after the transfer of wartime control. According to the plans agreed between the two sides, the current form of ROK - U.S. combined forces will remain the same. However, it is expected that a four-star general from the Korean Army will replace the commander of the combined forces.