Reuters · October 15, 2026

South Korea Defence Ministry Spokesperson Says Changing Transfer Requirements Could Block Wartime Command Handover From the U.S.

• Defence Ministry spokesperson Jeong Bit-na told a regular briefing on Thursday that, speaking in a personal capacity, continually changing the requirements for transferring wartime operational control from the United States could make the handover impossible, according to the report.
• She said the comment was not the ministry's official position, which remained that Seoul and Washington were working closely under their mutually agreed conditions-based transition plan.
• US Forces Korea commander General Xavier Brunson said on Wednesday that the security environment and operational plans had changed since the allies established the transfer requirements, according to the report.
• Seoul regained peacetime operational control in 1994; command of allied forces during wartime remains with the US-led Combined Forces Command. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has said he aims to complete the transfer before his five-year term ends in 2030, according to the report.

Statements attributed to the named officials as reported. Original headline: "South Korea official says shifting goalposts could block wartime command transfer from US".