South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun said Friday that his country is expected to take back wartime operational control of its military forces from the United States in about five years.

"Foreign troops will no longer be stationed in Seoul. South Korea's takeover of its wartime military operational control won't take 10 years. It could be possible in around five years," Roh said while meeting with local democracy activists at the presidential office.

The operational control of South Korean troops had been under management of the U.S.-led UN command since the Korean War erupted in 1950. In 1994, South Korea took back the peacetime control of its forces while the wartime operational control remains in the hands of the commander of the U.S. forces in South Korea.

Earlier this month, the South Korean Defense Ministry had said the transfer of wartime military command could be possible in five to six years.

According to the Yonhap news, South Korea expects to set a specific timetable for its takeover of the wartime operational control during bilateral military talks with the United States in Washington in October.

Source: Xinhua