Seoul and Washington postpone annual defense meeting until 2027 — Korea Herald

South Korea and the United States agreed to hold defense talks in Washington in December and convene the 58th Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) in early 2027. The agreement was reached during the first meeting between South Korean Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul and U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth in Cebu, the Philippines, the Korea Herald reports.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 13th ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting and partner countries. Kang said that the South Korea-U.S. alliance had been a pillar of peace and prosperity in the region for more than seven decades. Hegseth, for his part, called for strengthening defense cooperation and joint defense readiness.

Postponement of the annual SCM

The SCM is the highest annual defense consultation mechanism between Seoul and Washington. It is usually held in early November, alternately in South Korea and the United States. The postponement until next year will be the first such case since 1998, when a meeting scheduled for November was held in January 1999 because of tensions between the United States and Iraq.

South Korea’s Defense Ministry spokesperson Jeon Binna described the new schedule as a “two-step approach.” According to her, defense chiefs must first coordinate key issues and make final decisions at the SCM early next year.

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Transfer of operational control

According to South Korea’s Defense Ministry, Hegseth reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to transferring wartime operational control, known as OPCON, to South Korea. The sides agreed to work closely to ensure that the transition takes place smoothly and in a timely manner.

The administration of President Lee Jae-myung had sought to complete an assessment of the future Combined Forces Command’s full operational capability and set a target year for the OPCON transfer at this year’s SCM. A South Korean defense official also dismissed suggestions that the meeting was postponed because of significant disagreements between the allies.

Seoul’s aspiration to build nuclear-powered submarines may also be discussed during the December talks. Before traveling to the Philippines, Kang said that the ministry expected the U.S. side to raise the issue and was preparing for discussions.