South Korea’s Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo says Seoul and Washington are closely and smoothly cooperating on the eventual transfer of wartime operational control(OPCON) to South Korea. 

He made the remark in a meeting with reporters in Washington D.C. on Tuesday ahead of Wednesday’s 50th Security Consultative Meeting(SCM), where he will sit down with his U.S. counterpart James Mattis. 

Jeong said he was planning to discuss measures to further develop the bilateral alliance during the annual security meeting. 

Early on Tuesday, the South Korean minister laid a wreath at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington and also visited a veteran’s care center to meet with Korean War veterans.