As part of a road map, the two allies agreed in 2014 to create a new joint command, headed by a South Korean military officer and a U.S. subcommander, which will replace the Combined Forces Command when full operational control of Korean troops returns to Seoul. The new command would be similar in structure to CFC, which is headed by the U.S. Forces Korea commander, and take charge of its key wartime functions.

But the USFK has asked for talks about the new command to be halted, it emerged Sunday.