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South Korean Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul meets with U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth for a photo on the morning of Oct. 28 during their visit to the Philippines for the 13th ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus). / Yonhap

South Korean Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul held his first face-to-face meeting with U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Oct. 28 since taking office.

The Defense Ministry released a photo that day of the two ministers meeting in Cebu, Philippines, where they were visiting to attend the 13th ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus). It was Kang's first in-person meeting with Hegseth since assuming office.

Although the details of their discussions were not disclosed, the two defense chiefs are believed to have held wide-ranging talks on diplomatic and security matters during their first face-to-face meeting. In particular, there is speculation that key bilateral security issues, including the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) and nuclear-powered submarines, may have been discussed.

The government plans to complete the verification of the Future Combined Forces Command's Full Operational Capability (FOC) through this year's Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) between South Korea and the United States and determine a target year, referred to as the "X-year," for the OPCON transfer. The SCM is usually held in November, but it will reportedly be difficult to convene the meeting next month due to practical constraints, including the U.S. midterm elections in November and a change of defense minister on the Korean side.

As he left the ministry headquarters to depart for the Philippines, Kang said, "We will basically discuss matters concerning the alliance. Naturally, I expect the issue of OPCON to come up as well. I will hold close consultations with the U.S. side."

                                                                                                              Lee Han-sol