S. Korea defense chief heads to Washington to speed OPCON transfer

South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back departed for Washington on Sunday on his first official U.S. trip since taking office, seeking to accelerate the timeline for transferring wartime operational control to Seoul and to advance a nuclear-powered submarine cooperation agreement.

Seoul has set a 2028 deadline for completing the final stage of OPCON transfer, but the commander of U.S. Forces Korea has projected that transition conditions will not be met until early 2029 — a gap the allies are under pressure to close before a pivotal security consultative meeting later this year.

Ahn is scheduled to meet with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and members of the Senate Armed Services Committee. The 28th Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue, known as KIDD, is set for May 12 and 13 in Washington. The visit concludes May 14, according to The Korea Times.

Seoul and Washington adopted the Conditions-based OPCON Transition Plan, or COTP, in 2015. The framework ties the handover to three conditions: South Korea's demonstrated ability to lead combined forces, its capacity to counter North Korean nuclear and missile threats, and a stable regional security environment. The transition itself proceeds through three verification stages — initial, full and final operational capability. South Korea has cleared the full operational capability assessment and aims to complete the final stage before the end of 2026, The Korea Times reported.

Before departing Incheon, Ahn said Seoul and Washington have made "systematic, stable and consistent" preparations for the transfer. "I do not believe there would be significant issues in speeding up the transfer," he said.

Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander of United States Forces Korea, has estimated that the three transfer conditions will not be fully satisfied until the first quarter of 2029 — a year after Seoul's stated goal. Ahn acknowledged that hurdles remain but took a firm position. "No matter what difficulties arise, this is an issue that the South Korean and U.S. military authorities must resolve," he said.

Nuclear-powered submarine cooperation is also on the agenda. The leaders of both countries have agreed to the program in principle, and Ahn is expected to pursue concrete details with his American counterparts during the visit, the newspaper reported.

South Korea hopes to formalize a target year for OPCON transfer at the Security Consultative Meeting, or SCM, scheduled later in 2026. Analysts will watch whether the KIDD sessions yield enough alignment to close the timeline gap between the two allies.

The outcome of Ahn's Washington talks will signal whether Seoul and Washington can agree on a timetable for one of the most consequential transitions in the seven-decade history of the alliance.