The defense authorities of Korea and the United States held the Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD), a Deputy Minister-level meeting, in Washington, D.C., on the 12th and 13th local time and released the results. The two countries had shown differences over issues such as the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON), but this KIDD outcome included no mention of the OPCON transfer.
The Ministry of National Defense said on the 14th Korea time that the 28th KIDD meeting was held, led by Kim Hong-chul, director general for defense policy; U.S. Department of Defense (War Department) Deputy Minister for Indo-Pacific Security John Noe; and acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asia James Finch, as chief delegates. Key figures in defense and foreign affairs from both countries attended. Launched in 2011, KIDD is a high-level forum for timely and effective security consultations between the allies.
According to the Ministry of National Defense, the two sides agreed to actively pursue cooperation to implement the joint fact sheet in the defense field issued by the Korea-U.S. leaders in November last year and the joint statement from the 57th Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) held last year. They assessed the overall state of defense cooperation in the alliance and exchanged views on policy directions to strengthen the allies' combined defense posture.
They also assessed that KIDD provides an important foundation for advancing practical cooperation to further solidify the alliance, and agreed to deepen cooperation to achieve shared security objectives on the Korean Peninsula and in the Indo-Pacific region.
Amid observations that differences may have been coordinated over the OPCON transfer at this meeting, the readout made no mention of the transfer. On the 11th local time in Washington, D.C., Minister of National Defense Ahn Gyu-baek, who held talks with U.S. Department of Defense (War Department) Secretary Pete Hegseth, said they "agreed on the swift transfer of OPCON," noting that "the U.S. side has a slightly different view on some parts." There was also no mention of issues such as building nuclear-powered submarines or partitioning management measures for the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).
However, given the reference to shared intent to implement the joint fact sheet and the SCM joint statement, it is interpreted as expressing a willingness to consult on alliance agenda items such as nuclear-powered submarines.
The joint fact sheet released last year, reflecting the leaders' agreement, includes the statement that "the United States has approved Korea building nuclear-powered submarines." In addition, at last year's 57th SCM, the two sides agreed to develop the roadmap for the OPCON transfer and to proceed this year with verification of the future Combined Forces Command headquarters' full operational capability (FOC), the second of three stages evaluating the Korean military's wartime operational command capability.