SOUTH KOREA — The Lee administration is pursuing constitutional, legal, and military reforms that have generated concern within the U.S. government. On June 3, Representative Darrell Issa requested at a U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing that a Wall Street Journal article titled "South Korea Takes a Hard Left Turn Against America" be placed in the record. Nicholas Eberstadt and Lawrence Peck authored the opinion piece, which argues that South Korea's ruling camp is pursuing changes that could weaken democratic checks and undermine the strategic foundations of the U.S.-South Korea alliance.

The U.S. State Department expressed "serious concerns about the Government of Korea approving amendments to the Information and Communications Network Act," warning that the changes could undermine freedom of expression and complicate technology cooperation. The Lee administration's ruling party has proposed a revision of the act to empower authorities to act against "false or manipulated information" and strengthen punitive damage provisions. Allies of the Lee administration have floated proposals that could eliminate the president's ongoing criminal exposure and have reopened debate over South Korea's single five-year presidential term. The Blue House dismissed the claim that proposed changes could contribute to one-party dominance as a serious distortion. The People Power Party was defeated in the local elections on June 3.

The Lee administration is pushing to assume wartime operational control (OPCON) from the U.S. The Senate Armed Services Committee's fiscal year 2027 defense bill requires the Pentagon to provide Congress with regular reports on any OPCON transfer process. The bill also bars implementation spending on OPCON transfer until the administration certifies that the move serves U.S. interests. On June 17, the South Korean Ministry of National Defense announced plans to move the Civilian Control Line northward by an average of two kilometers. This plan involves easing military restrictions across approximately 720 square kilometers and removing anti-tank barriers from more than 20 locations.

The U.S. Senate has directed the Pentagon to assess the extent of the Chinese Communist Party's influence activities in South Korea and their impact on American military and commercial interests. On June 16, U.S. officials met with families of South Korean citizens detained by North Korea.