The defense chiefs of the U.S. and South Korea agreed Wednesday to postpone annual top-level talks until early 2027, dealing a setback to Seoul’s efforts to assume wartime operational control (OPCON) over U.S.-ROK forces in the event of a conflict with North Korea.

South Korean Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, meeting in person for the first time on the sidelines of the 13th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus in the Philippines, agreed to convene the 58th Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) early next year and to hold separate talks in Washington in December instead, according to a