Seoul: South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung said Tuesday that South Korea’s retaking of its wartime Operational Control (OPCON) from the United States within his term would serve as a major opportunity to upgrade the bilateral alliance.

Lee made the remarks during a meeting with US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth at his office, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a written briefing, as Seoul and Washington held annual security talks to discuss ways to modernise the alliance.

“The early recovery of wartime operational control within my term would serve as an important opportunity to further deepen and develop the alliance between the Republic of Korea and the US,” Lee was quoted as saying, Yonhap News Agency reported. His five-year term ends in 2030.

“If the Korean military’s

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