The top military officers of South Korea and the United States said on Monday that “meaningful progress” had been made in the push for the transfer of wartime operational control(OPCON) from Washington to Seoul.

Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Jin Yong-sung and his U.S. counterpart, Gen. John Daniel Caine, discussed the matter and other defense issues during the 50th Military Committee Meeting at the group's headquarters in Seoul's Yongsan District.

The two sides said in a joint statement that they'd agreed to continue coordinating closely to ensure a stable, conditional OPCON transfer while maintaining a strong and steadfast alliance.

Joint South Korea-U.S. military drills, such as the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, regularly evaluate whether the conditions for OPCON transfer have been met, and this year's assessment showed signs of progress.

The leaders also highlighted the importance of working together to strengthen deterrence across the alliance, combining conventional and strategic capabilities to ensure a credible and responsive posture in the face of a rapidly changing security environment and various threats.

They noted that the security situation in the Indo-Pacific region is complex and unstable due to the advancement of North Korea's nuclear and missile threats and intensifying military competition around the world.

In accordance with the South Korea-U.S. Nuclear Consultation Group framework, the leaders reaffirmed their commitment to advancing Conventional-Nuclear Integration efforts to ensure a timely and coordinated response to any contingency, including nuclear threats from Pyongyang.

They said the deterrence their alliance provides contributes to security, freedom and prosperity beyond the Korean Peninsula and stressed that cooperation with allies and partners will ensure mutual benefits.

The results of their meeting will be reported to the 57th Security Consultative Meeting Council in Seoul on Tuesday, led by Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back and U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.