South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has renewed his push to reclaim wartime operational control of the country's armed forces from the United States, urging officials to accelerate the process before his term ends in 2030. Speaking at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Lee also called for faster progress on acquiring nuclear-powered submarines, framing both goals as essential to strengthening South Korea's independent defence capabilities in a rapidly shifting global security environment.

Lee's remarks came after US President Donald Trump ordered the Pentagon to "substantially reduce" this week's joint military exercises with South Korea, known as Ulchi Freedom Shield, which began on Monday. Trump justified the move by saying North Korea had been "unthreatening and respectful" and that he maintained a "very good relationship" with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. During Oval Office questioning on Monday, Trump claimed Kim had responded to his order to cut the drills, though he offered no further details, saying only that the situation was "very positive".

The issue of wartime operational control — known as Opcon — dates to the Korean War, which ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty in 1953, leaving the two Koreas technically still at war. South Korea transferred command authority over its forces to the US-led coalition at the outbreak of that conflict. While Seoul regained peacetime control of its military in 1994, wartime command has remained with the head of the allies' Combined Forces Command, a position always held by an American four-star general. Reclaiming that authority has become a potent symbol of national sovereignty and a long-stated goal of successive South Korean governments, repeatedly delayed over more than two decades. The now-curtailed Ulchi Freedom Shield drills were partly intended to help certify South Korea's readiness to take on that responsibility.

Lee described independent defence and the US-South Korea alliance as mutually reinforcing rather than contradictory. "When the alliance is firm, the foundation for security will become stronger, while our value and importance as an ally will grow as we strengthen our own capabilities," he said. Seoul's presidential office emphasised that the drills carried no "intention to attack North Korea or escalate tensions."

The decision to cut the exercises has drawn concern from military officials on both sides, who have warned that North Korea has been acquiring new battlefield tactics — particularly relating to drone warfare — from sending troops to support Russia's war in Ukraine. North Korea deepened military ties with Moscow after signing a strategic partnership pact in June 2024, providing troops, ammunition and ballistic missiles. Colonel Ryan Donald, the public affairs director for US-led commands in South Korea, noted that the exercises had been evolving specifically to account for these updated North Korean capabilities. Trump has curtailed similar drills before: following his first summit with Kim in 2018, the Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercise was cancelled and other drills were scaled back or suspended.