The U.S. Congress has reportedly asked U.S. defense authorities to report on the progress in the preparations for the U.S. transfer of wartime operational command to South Korea set for April 2012.

A diplomatic source in Seoul says that the defense authorization bill for fiscal year 2011 passed by the U.S. House of Representatives last month requests that U.S. defense authorities describe in detail the specific circumstances in which the planned transfer might be rescheduled.

It is the first time for the U.S. Congress to mention a possible rescheduling of the transfer.