On Friday, South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung announced that the country will now seek to reclaim wartime operational control from the U.S. at an early date, underscoring the need for greater military self-reliance.
In a meeting with military leaders at the Defence Ministry, Lee also said the government will pursue military reform, including selective conscription, to better reflect demographic and security realities.
South Korea’s Priority Remains North Korea
Lee cited wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as tension on the Korean Peninsula, saying armed forces’ foremost responsibility was to maintain readiness to respond to provocation by North Korea.
“The ironclad South Korea-U.S. alliance is an essential pillar of peace and stability on the peninsula, but excessive dependence is not desirable. The transfer of wartime operational control will be pursued swiftly,” Lee said. And added that,
Currently, the U.S. holds command over allied troops in the event of war on the Korean peninsula, but successive governments in South Korea have sought to regain wartime operational control.
Wartime Control By 2030
Lee’s administration has signalled that it aims to finalise the process within his term, which is set to end in 2030, once South Korea meets a set of military capability conditions agreed upon with the U.S.
Lee said South Korea’s military must be prepared to take a leading role in defending the peninsula and called for a shift towards a “smarter, stronger military” equipped to deal with future battlefields shaped by advanced technology.
The South Korean armed forces are largely made up of conscripts, with most men required to serve for around 18 months, reflecting the country’s status as still at war with North Korea in the absence of a peace treaty following a 1953 armistice.
Selective conscription was a theme in Lee’s presidential campaigns, during which he pledged to retain mandatory service, but he also wanted to allow eligible recruits to choose to volunteer. He also considered alternative pathways and adjusting service terms to address South Korea’s demographic change.
(With inputs from Reuters)
