(MENAFN) South Korean President Lee Jae Myung informed US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that Seoul’s initiative to reclaim its wartime operational control (OPCON) from Washington would provide an opportunity to “deepen” the partnership between the two nations, according to reports from a news agency.

President Lee delivered these remarks on Tuesday during a meeting with Secretary Hegseth in Seoul, as stated by presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung in an official written release, the news agency conveyed.

“The early regaining of wartime operational control within my term would serve as an important opportunity to further deepen and develop the alliance between the Republic of Korea (South Korea) and the US,” Lee declared, as cited by Kang.

He further noted that “If the Korean military's capabilities are significantly strengthened and the Republic of Korea takes a leading role in defending the Korean Peninsula, the US defense burden in the Indo-Pacific region will also be reduced.”

President Lee’s government aims to reclaim wartime OPCON from the United States before the conclusion of his five-year presidency, which extends until 2030.

South Korea remains one of Washington’s most enduring defense partners in Asia, hosting nearly 28,500 American troops on its territory.

During peacetime, operational control is maintained by the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, while in wartime, command shifts to the US-led Combined Forces Command.

During the Korean War from 1950 to 1953, Seoul delegated operational command of its forces to the US-led UN Command.

That authority was transferred to the joint Combined Forces Command in 1978, solidifying decades of military cooperation between the allies.

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