DP leader says wartime OPCON transfer from U.S. to benefit national security – Yonhap News Agency

DP leader says wartime OPCON transfer from U.S. to benefit national security  Yonhap News Agency

SEOUL, Sept. 22 (Yonhap) — Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok said Tuesday that South K… This will let Google show Yonhap news articles that match or are related to your search SEOUL, Sept. 22 (Yonhap) — Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok said Tuesday that South Korea's retaking of wartime operational control (OPCON) from the United States would serve its national security interests. The ruling party leader made the remarks during a ceremony at the National Assembly marking the launch of the party's task force on the wartime OPCON transition. "The world is moving toward a landscape and set of relationships in which South Korea exercising its own (wartime OPCON) is what truly benefits national security," Kim said.

Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok (C) speaks during a ceremony at the National Assembly on Sept. 22, 2026, marking the launch of the party's task force on the wartime OPCON transition. (Yonhap) "There was a time when having the U.S. exercise wartime operational control was considered more advantageous and reliable for the security of the Korean Peninsula and South Korea," he said. Kim, who also serves on the Assembly's National Defense Committee, said South Korea's national power, including its defense capabilities, has steadily grown and that the nature of its alliance with the U.S. has evolved toward expanding South Korea's role. "The crux