Lee, Trump discuss wartime OPCON transfer for 1st time

President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump discussed wartime operational control transfer for the first time at a summit in New York on Tuesday local time. The 30-minute meeting was arranged on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. Lee explained Korea’s position and defense plans, and Trump showed understanding, according to a senior Cheong Wa Dae official. The two leaders also discussed strategic investment, nuclear submarine cooperation and shipbuilding.

The Lee administration is seeking to retake wartime OPCON by 2028 or even 2027 if possible.

U.S. military officials have said the necessary conditions would not be met until the first quarter of 2029.

National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said the two leaders welcomed substantial progress in discussions on strategic investment projects between the two countries.

Lee called for faster discussions on nuclear submarines, and the two sides agreed to continue consultations.

The leaders did not discuss a potential Korean military deployment to the Strait of Hormuz.

Published Sep 23, 2026 5:42 pm KST

President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump, accompanied by their officials, hold a summit at a hotel in New York, Tuesday (local time), on the sidelines of Lee's visit for the U.N. General Assembly. Yonhap

President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump discussed the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) of Korean forces from Washington to Seoul during a summit in New York, Tuesday (local time).

Although the issue has been under discussion for decades, it was the first time that it has been raised between Lee and Trump, according to a senior Cheong Wa Dae official.

The 30-minute summit was arranged unexpectedly on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, where Lee and Trump both delivered speeches.

The official said Lee devoted “considerable time” to explaining Korea’s position on the transfer and Trump showed “a great deal of understanding” of the issue.

The Lee administration has pursued retaking OPCON by 2028 or even 2027 if possible, but U.S. military officials have said necessary conditions would not be met until the first quarter of 2029.

Regarding the OPCON transfer, Lee outlined Korea’s efforts to strengthen its own defense capabilities, including plans to increase defense spending, and reaffirmed its willingness to take greater responsibility for defense, according to the official.

Whether the meeting would take place had remained uncertain before Lee’s departure for the U.S., but progress in negotiations on Korean investment in the U.S. gave momentum to plans for a summit, which was confirmed only on Tuesday morning, according to the official.

“The two leaders welcomed the substantial progress made in discussions on strategic investment projects between the two countries,” National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said during a press briefing.

Wi explained that the two leaders also reaffirmed their shared commitment to deepening cooperation on fuel for nuclear-powered submarines, uranium enrichment and spent-fuel reprocessing and shipbuilding, building on a joint fact sheet issued after their summit in November 2025.

In that context, Lee also called for faster discussions on nuclear submarines, and the two sides agreed to continue consultations.

Shipbuilding cooperation was one of the issues that drew particular interest from the U.S. side, with Trump expressing strong interest in the matter. The two leaders agreed to accelerate follow-up discussions.

Meanwhile, the two leaders did not discuss potential Korean military deployment to the Strait of Hormuz, an issue over which Trump has continued to press Seoul.

“With so many other issues discussed, Hormuz did not come up,” the official said. “It was not deliberately left out. Neither side raised it.”

韩国总统李在明和美国总统唐纳德·特朗普于当地时间周二在纽约举行峰会，首次就战时作战指挥权移交问题进行了磋商。此次30分钟的会晤是在联合国大会期间安排的。据青瓦台一位高级官员透露，李在明阐述了韩国的立场和国防计划，特朗普表示理解。两位领导人还讨论了战略投资、核潜艇合作和造船等议题。

李政府希望在 2028 年，甚至如果可能的话在 2027 年重新夺回战时作战控制权。

美国军方官员表示，必要条件要到 2029 年第一季度才能满足。

国家安全顾问魏松乐表示，两国领导人对两国在战略投资项目讨论方面取得的实质性进展表示欢迎。

李呼吁加快核潜艇问题的讨论，双方同意继续磋商。

两国领导人没有讨论韩国可能向霍尔木兹海峡部署军队的问题。

发布于2026年9月23日下午5:42（韩国标准时间）

韩国总统李在明和美国总统唐纳德·特朗普在各自官员的陪同下，于周二（当地时间）在纽约一家酒店举行峰会。此次峰会是李在明出席联合国大会期间的行程安排。（韩联社）

韩国总统李在明和美国总统唐纳德·特朗普周二（当地时间）在纽约举行峰会，讨论了将韩国军队的战时作战指挥权（OPCON）从华盛顿移交给首尔的问题。

据青瓦台一位高级官员透露，虽然这个问题已经讨论了几十年，但这是李明博和特朗普之间第一次提出这个问题。

这场30分钟的峰会是在联合国大会期间出人意料地安排的，李和特朗普都在大会上发表了讲话。

这位官员表示，李某花了“相当多的时间”解释韩国在移交问题上的立场，而特朗普对这个问题表现出了“极大的理解”。

李政府一直寻求在 2028 年甚至 2027 年（如果可能的话）重新夺回作战控制权，但美国军方官员表示，必要条件要到 2029 年第一季度才能满足。

据该官员透露，关于作战指挥权移交，李在镕概述了韩国为加强自身国防能力所做的努力，包括增加国防开支的计划，并重申了韩国愿意承担更大国防责任的意愿。

据一位官员透露，在李明博启程前往美国之前，此次会晤是否会举行仍存在不确定性，但韩国对美投资谈判取得进展，推动了峰会计划的进行，峰会直到周二上午才得到确认。

“两国领导人对两国在战略投资项目讨论中取得的实质性进展表示欢迎，”国家安全顾问魏松乐在新闻发布会上说。

魏先生解释说，两国领导人还重申了深化在核动力潜艇燃料、铀浓缩和乏燃料后处理以及造船等领域合作的共同承诺，这是在2025年11月峰会后发布的联合情况说明书的基础上做出的。

在此背景下，李还呼吁加快讨论核潜艇问题，双方同意继续磋商。

造船合作是美方特别关注的议题之一，特朗普对此表现出浓厚的兴趣。两国领导人同意加快后续磋商。

与此同时，两位领导人没有讨论韩国可能向霍尔木兹海峡部署军队的问题，而特朗普一直就此问题向首尔施压。

“由于讨论了很多其他问题，霍尔木兹海峡问题没有被提及，”这位官员说。“这并非故意忽略，而是双方都没有主动提及。”