The Washington Post reports that “U.S. and South Korean officials agreed Thursday to set aside a long-delayed timeline for giving Seoul control of both nations’ military forces in South Korea during wartime, a signal of continued anxiety about the threat North Korea poses to its southern neighbor.”  

“Military leaders from both countries agreed instead to adopt a conditions-based approach to determining when the United States will relinquish responsibility for commanding South Korean and U.S. forces on the peninsula in the event of a military conflict. That duty has fallen to the United States for the past 60 years.”  

“A senior U.S. defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the change publicly, said the arrangement replaces an earlier transfer plan that, after several delays, had been slated to take effect in 2015.”