SEOUL, May 10 (AJP) - There will be "no major hurdles" in pushing for the speedy transfer of wartime operational control of South Korean troops to Seoul, Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back said as he left for Washington, D.C. on Sunday for talks with U.S. officials.
Speaking to reporters at Incheon International Airport, Ahn said the two countries made "significant progress" through follow-up talks after both sides reached a relevant agreement in 2015, hinting that it would be one of the key topics for his weeklong trip to the U.S.
Seoul hopes to regain wartime operational control of its own troops from the U.S. before President Lee Jae Myung's five-year term ends in 2030.
During his stay there until Thursday, Ahn is scheduled to meet senior officials, including U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. It is Ahn's first trip to the U.S. since assuming his post in July last year.
Ahn is also expected to meet Hung Cao, the newly appointed acting secretary of the Navy as well as ranking members of the Senate Armed Services Committee among others.
Seoul and Washington are reportedly planning to tentatively set 2028 as the target year for completing the transfer and to formalize it with specific plans in October, when the two countries' defense ministers meet for their annual Security Consultative Meeting (SCM).
As for joint nuclear submarine projects and relevant cooperation between the allies as part of a tariff-related deal reached last fall, Ahn stressed the importance of implementing follow-up steps.
When asked whether the long-stalled projects could begin in the first half of this year, he remained positive, saying, "Of course" and adding that they must be resolved "no matter what difficulties arise."
Ahn's trip also coincides with a two-day meeting of a defense consultative body between working-level officials from the two countries, known as the Korea Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD) earlier in the week.
Speaking to reporters at Incheon International Airport, Ahn said the two countries made "significant progress" through follow-up talks after both sides reached a relevant agreement in 2015, hinting that it would be one of the key topics for his weeklong trip to the U.S.
Seoul hopes to regain wartime operational control of its own troops from the U.S. before President Lee Jae Myung's five-year term ends in 2030.
During his stay there until Thursday, Ahn is scheduled to meet senior officials, including U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. It is Ahn's first trip to the U.S. since assuming his post in July last year.
Ahn is also expected to meet Hung Cao, the newly appointed acting secretary of the Navy as well as ranking members of the Senate Armed Services Committee among others.
Seoul and Washington are reportedly planning to tentatively set 2028 as the target year for completing the transfer and to formalize it with specific plans in October, when the two countries' defense ministers meet for their annual Security Consultative Meeting (SCM).
As for joint nuclear submarine projects and relevant cooperation between the allies as part of a tariff-related deal reached last fall, Ahn stressed the importance of implementing follow-up steps.
When asked whether the long-stalled projects could begin in the first half of this year, he remained positive, saying, "Of course" and adding that they must be resolved "no matter what difficulties arise."
Ahn's trip also coincides with a two-day meeting of a defense consultative body between working-level officials from the two countries, known as the Korea Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD) earlier in the week.
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