(LEAD) S. Korea, U.S. agree to postpone key bilateral security dialogue to early next year: Seoul

What happened: South Korea and the United States agreed to hold their key bilateral Security Consultative Meeting early next year instead of late October or early November, Seoul's defense ministry said. The decision followed talks between Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in the Philippines. Why it matters: The announcement confirmed growing speculation that the allies may push back the annual meeting amid apparent friction over moving forward with the transition of wartime operational control (OPCON) from Washington to Seoul.

South Korea and the United States agreed to hold their key bilateral Security Consultative Meeting early next year instead of late October or early November, Seoul's defense ministry said. The decision followed talks between Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in the Philippines.

The announcement confirmed growing speculation that the allies may push back the annual meeting amid apparent friction over moving forward with the transition of wartime operational control (OPCON) from Washington to Seoul.