Korea and U.S. to Hold High-Level Defense Talks in Washington... Full-Fledged Discussions on OPCON Transition

First Meeting in Eight Months Since Last Year’s Seoul Session

OPCON Transition a Key Priority for the Lee Administration

Cooperation on Hormuz, DMZ Management Also Expected

The Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD), a high-level consultative body between the defense authorities of South Korea and the United States, will be held in the U.S. next week. Key agenda items are expected to include the transition of wartime operational control (OPCON)—a national policy priority under the Lee Jaemyung administration—as well as cooperation measures related to the Strait of Hormuz following the recent war involving Iran.

On May 7, the Ministry of National Defense announced that the 28th Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue will take place in Washington, D.C., on May 12-13. Launched in 2011 to facilitate timely and effective security consultations, the KIDD meetings are held one or two times per year, alternating between South Korea and the United States. This session marks the first in approximately eight months, since the previous meeting in Seoul last September.

Kim Hongcheol, policy chief at South Korea's Ministry of National Defense, and John Noe, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs, will serve as chief representatives. Key officials from both countries' defense and foreign affairs sectors are also scheduled to attend.

The Ministry of National Defense stated, "The agenda will cover the full spectrum of alliance security issues, including the OPCON transition and combined defense posture, to ensure that the Korea-U.S. alliance continues to develop in a future-oriented and mutually beneficial manner."

Ahn Kyu-baek, Minister of National Defense, is speaking at the 1st 2026 Wartime Operational Control Transition Promotion Evaluation Meeting held on the 28th at the Ministry of National Defense's large conference room. Ministry of National Defense.

The OPCON transition, which the Lee Jaemyung administration is pursuing as a key national policy, has been officially included on the agenda for this meeting. The South Korean government has been reviewing 2028 as the target year for the transition—before the terms of President Lee Jaemyung and U.S. President Donald Trump end. However, a difference of opinion emerged when General J.B. Brunsen, Commander of U.S. Forces Korea, indicated the first quarter of 2029 as the target year during a recent U.S. congressional hearing.

The government aims to reach an agreement on the target year for OPCON transition at the Korea-U.S. Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) this fall, which will be attended by both countries' defense ministers. The upcoming KIDD meeting, which serves as a preparatory session for the SCM, will be used to further detail these discussions.

Discussions are also expected regarding the Strait of Hormuz, which has been virtually blockaded due to the U.S.-Iran war. President Trump recently attributed the explosion and fire on a Korean vessel in the Strait of Hormuz to an Iranian attack and pressured South Korea to join "Project Freedom," a U.S.-led initiative to help ships trapped in the strait escape. However, he has since announced the temporary suspension of this project.

In addition, the U.S. is working to establish a new international coalition called the "Coalition for Maritime Freedom" to resume navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

Other alliance issues expected to be discussed at this KIDD meeting include measures for divided management of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) under the jurisdiction of the United Nations Command, as well as cooperation on the construction of nuclear-powered submarines.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.