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U.S., South Korea may delay command transfer-Obama

by Reuters
Friday, 25 April 2014 09:42 GMT

SEOUL, April 25 (Reuters) - South Korea and the United States have agreed that a 2015 date to transfer operational command of South Korean forces could be reconsidered after Seoul asked for a delay, U.S. President Barack Obama told a press conference on Friday.

Seoul had pushed for a renegotiation of the agreement, fearing that Washington's security commitment to South Korea could have been weakened due to the transfer.

Seoul and Washington said in a joint statement that "due to the evolving security environment in the region, including the enduring North Korean nuclear and missile threat, the current timeline for the transition of wartime operational control (OPCON) to a Republic of Korea-led defense in 2015 can be reconsidered."

Obama was speaking at a press conference with South Korean President Park Geun-hye. (Reporting by David Chance; Editing by Nick Macfie)

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.


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