[Edaily Reporter kim kwanyong ] Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul and U.S. Secretary of War (Department of Defense) Pete Hegses held their first in-person meeting since taking office on the 28th (local time) in the Philippines, but it is reported that they did not reach a specific agreement on the timing of the U.S.-South Korea Security Consultative Meeting (SCM), a key milestone in discussions regarding the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON). With the U.S. side announcing its plan to hold the SCM early next year, it has become increasingly likely that the annual consultative body between the South Korean and U.S. defense ministers will span two calendar years for the first time in 28 years, since 1998.

According to the Ministry of National Defense, the two ministers held talks for about 15 minutes on the sidelines of the 13th ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus) taking place in Cebu, Philippines, that day. This marked the first time Minister Kang, who took office on the 22nd of last month, had direct communication with Minister Hegesess in 36 days. Criticism had been raised that communication between South Korean and U.S. defense authorities was lagging, as the two ministers had not even spoken by phone during that period.

Although the transfer of operational control and the SCM schedule were discussed during this meeting, it is reported that no concrete agreement was reached. Initially, South Korea and the U.S. had been pursuing a plan to finalize the verification of Full Operational Capability (FOC) for the Future Combined Forces Command—led by the South Korean military—at this year’s SCM and to determine the target year for the transfer of operational control, known as “Year X.”

However, the two countries have been unable to bridge their differences regarding whether the conditions for the OPCON transfer have been met and the pace of the transfer. Consequently, the schedules for related consultations—including the Military Committee Meeting (MCM) between the South Korean and U.S. Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, which is held prior to the SCM—have also been postponed.

A U.S. Department of Defense official told South Korean media on the 27th (local time) that “the decision was made by mutual agreement due to scheduling conflicts among the leadership of both countries,” adding that the SCM is expected to be held in early 2027. The South Korean Ministry of National Defense also stated, “The two ministers agreed on the importance of successfully hosting the historic 58th SCM and, to that end, decided to hold a South Korea-U.S. defense ministers’ meeting in Washington this December and to convene the SCM in early 2027.”

This marks the first time since 1998 that the SCM has been held in a year following its originally scheduled date. At that time, the 30th SCM was postponed to January 1999 due to U.S. airstrikes on Iraq and other factors. In 1980, the meeting did not take place at all amid domestic political turmoil.

Following the talks, Secretary Hegses posted on social media, stating, “The ROK-U.S. alliance is based on peace through strength,” and emphasized military readiness, decisive military capabilities, and combined combat power to deter aggression. In particular, he stated, “The United States stands with allies who take their own defense seriously.” This statement is interpreted as reaffirming the deterrence capabilities of the ROK-U.S. alliance while emphasizing the responsibility of allies for their own defense.

Although security issues between the two countries—such as North Korea’s landmine provocations in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and the construction of nuclear-powered submarines—remain numerous, this meeting was limited to a brief introductory session. Substantive coordination regarding the transfer of operational control will be addressed in follow-up consultations.