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Defense Minister An Gyu-baek announces the basic development plan for nuclear-powered submarines during the 1st Future Defense Strategy Committee meeting, presided over by President Lee Jae-myung, in Jinhae-gu, Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, on May 26. / Photo via Yonhap News

The Ministry of National Defense made it clear on May 28 that the current ROK-US Combined Forces Command architecture will remain intact even following the transition of wartime operational control (OPCON).

"Reports suggesting that the United States implied the dissolution of the Combined Forces Command upon the OPCON transition are completely groundless," Defense Ministry Spokesperson Jeong Bit-na stated during a press briefing at the ministry headquarters on Thursday.

Spokesperson Jeong underscored, "When South Korea and the United States signed the Alliance Guiding Principles in 2018, both nations formally agreed to establish a future Combined Forces Command framework structured similarly to the current CFC lineup post-OPCON transition." She added, "The alliance will continuously maintain the current CFC system to ensure an ironclad combined defense posture even after the transfer is finalized."

Jeong further noted, "Particularly since the visit of a senior US official to South Korea this past January, United States Forces Korea (USFK) has made no proposals whatsoever to our military regarding changes to the preexisting agreements." She expressed strong regret over the report, stating, "We deeply regret the dissemination of unverified, speculative reports based on falsehoods that run the risk of undermining the ROK-US alliance."

Earlier in the day, a domestic media outlet reported that USFK had conveyed concerns that it would be operationally difficult for American forces to serve under the command of a South Korean CFC general if the OPCON transition occurs before necessary military conditions are fully met, implying that the transition could ultimately trigger the dissolution of the ROK-US Combined Forces Command.

                                                                                                              Lee Han-sol