WASHINGTON — A former U.S. diplomat said Thursday the envisioned transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) to South Korea from the United States does not mean “the end” of the bilateral alliance, amid lingering concerns that the transition could weaken the security partnership. Kathleen Stephens, who was ambassador to South Korea from 2008-2011, made the remarks during a forum, noting that the time may be “ripe” for the OPCON handover, and voicing confidence that Seoul and Washington can “manage” the transition. The allies have been discussing a series of issues, including the OPCON transfer and greater operational flexibility for the 28,500-strong U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), as they push to “modernize” their decades-old alliance to better adapt to the shifting security landscape. “It’s not the end of the alliance if we have a change in the operational control,” she said during the forum hosted by the Korea Economic Institute of America. “It depends on how that change is managed, but I think it can be managed, and perhaps this is the moment when sort of the stars align, if you like
