Keep Moving the Goalposts, and Wartime OPCON Transfer Will Never Happen

Defense Ministry spokesperson Jeong Bit-na said at a regular briefing on the 15th, "If the goalposts keep getting moved, the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) will never be possible."

Earlier, U.S. Forces Korea Commander Xavier Brunson said at a U.S. think tank seminar held in Washington, D.C. on the 14th (local time), "Conditions have changed and we have changed our plans, so new criteria have emerged." Brunson also said at the same event, "There was another missile launch from North Korea this week."

The OPCON transfer has been pursued in accordance with the Conditions-based OPCON Transfer Process (COTP) agreed upon at the 2015 ROK-U.S. Security Consultative Meeting (SCM). The three transfer conditions agreed upon by Seoul and Washington are: the military capability to lead combined defense, the capability to respond comprehensively to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, and a security environment on the Korean Peninsula and in the region that is conducive to a stable OPCON transfer. Under the current system, detailed tasks for each condition are jointly evaluated by the two allies and then reviewed at a regular consultation body between the ROK and U.S. defense and military authorities.