U.S. to keep wartime control of S. Korea forces

WASHINGTON – The United States on Thursday agreed to maintain wartime control of South Korean troops in the event of an attack by North Korea for the foreseeable future, delaying the transfer of authority to Seoul that had been scheduled for 2015.

Speaking to reporters at the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said delaying the handoff “will ensure that when the transfer does occur, Korean forces have the necessary defensive capabilities to address an intensifying North Korean threat.”

The agreement to delay the transfer has been discussed for more than a year and comes at the request of the Seoul government. There is no longer a deadline for the transfer; instead, it will be based on the progress of the South Korean military and the ongoing situation there, including tensions with North Korea and its ongoing nuclear ambitions.

Hagel made the announcement Thursday alongside South Korea Defense Minister Han Min Koo at the Pentagon.

Han, through an interpreter, added that he believes the security situation in the region is more precarious than ever, and said the continued U.S. and South Korea force status will enable them to deter North Korean provocations.

The U.S. has kept combat forces on the Korean Peninsula since the Korean War fighting halted on July 27, 1953, with the signing of an armistice. There are still about 28,000 American troops based in the South.