On April 25, President Park Geunhye and President Barack Obama held a joint press conference at the Blue House after bilateral meeting and announced that the current timeline for the transition of wartime operational control (OPCON) in 2015 can be reconsidered.
The timing and condition of the OPCON transfer are to be discussed at the ROK-U.S. Security Consultative Meeting in October.
The wartime OPCON was to be handed over to ROK on April 17, 2012. However, the transfer was postponed to December 1, 2015.
The two countries agreed to beef up capacities to achieve progress in North Korea’s denuclearization and to work with the international community in order to fully implement the UN Security Council resolutions on North Korea.
The two heads of state shared the view that joint military exercises such as Ulchi-Freedom Guardian, Key Resolve, and Foal Eagle have been conducted to effectively deal with the North’s threats.
In March, Seoul officially announced its intention to procure Global Hawk UAV and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
The two leaders showed their commitment to expand mutual beneficial cooperation based on KOR-US FTA and to closely coordinate with each other regarding ROK’s participation in TPP.
