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News | March 31, 2026

South Korea Doesn’t Fully Control Its Own Military. Can Lee Jae-myung Finally Change That?

By Diplomat Asia The Diplomat

Watch the interview

Dr. Clint Work was interviewed by The Diplomat for its YouTube page about his seven-part "Variables of OPCON" article series, which covers the multifaceted variables shaping the process and potential outcomes of the US-South Korea alliance's effort to complete wartime OPCON transition.

By all conventional metrics, South Korea is a military powerhouse fully capable of defending its own borders. But if a full-scale war were to break out on the Korean Peninsula tomorrow, South Korea would not have ultimate authority over its own troops. Instead, the operational control of the South Korean military would be in the hands of a foreign commander. Specifically, a four-star American general. U.S. operational control — OPCON in military parlance — over South Korea’s military has defined the alliance for the entirety of its existence. But that arrangement should have ended a long time ago. South Korea and the U.S. agreed to see through OPCON transfer 20 years ago — but we’re now 14 years past their initial deadline, and nothing’s changed. Why? It may sound wonky, but this isn’t just a topic for specialists. If it finally happens, OPCON transition would have major implications not just for the Korean Peninsula, but for the broader geopolitical struggle in the Indo-Pacific. Changing the balance of power in the U.S.-South Korea alliance would also change the way U.S. troops in Korea could engage in a China-U.S. war. You’re watching The Diplomat Asia. Today, we are diving into one of the most complex and misunderstood military topics in East Asia — the transfer of wartime OPCON from the U.S. to South Korea. We’ll explore how the U.S. got so much power over South Korea’s military in the first place, the tortured history of OPCON transfer pledges, and whether the current alignment of the Trump and Lee administrations will finally push it across the finish line.

For more on OPCON transfer, check out Dr. Clint Work's series of articles on the many variables involved: https://thediplomat.com/tag/the-variables-of-opcon/

Watch the interview below.

South Korea South Korea military ROK U.S.-ROK alliance Allies and Partners OPCON OPCON transfer Combined Forces Command