Overview
- President Lee Jae Myung told top commanders in Seoul he will move quickly to retake wartime operational control from the United States.
- His reform push includes selective conscription that keeps mandatory service but lets some draftees choose specialized, technology-focused roles.
- Lee ordered a higher readiness posture, citing a grave security picture that includes the Middle East war and new North Korean fences and barriers inside the DMZ.
- Officials say the transfer depends on South Korea proving it can lead combined forces and field advanced strike and missile-defense systems, which were assessed in the recent Freedom Shield exercise.
- South Korean and U.S. troops completed a live-fire drill using reconnaissance drones at Pocheon with about 900 personnel to strengthen interoperability.