South Korea's expectations of having a general in command of the US and Korean armed forces in the event of a conflict have been disregarded by US Defense Secretary James Mattis' recent visit to Seoul. The seal of the establishment of a joint military command in the event of a war with South Korean command was expected, thus ending the rule that also wants the Seoul armed forces under the operational control of a United States officer in the event of a conflict. However, this result - the main South Korean newspaper JoongAng Ilbo notes today - did not happen. Mattis met with Defense Minister Song Young-moo at the annual security advisory meeting yesterday in Seoul. At the end of the expected meeting, a joint statement was released and the two ministers held a press conference. In neither of the two was the establishment of the command announced. In the joint communiqué, in particular, it is written that the two ministers have decided to avoid further on the draft organization of the future combined command of forces. Earlier, the South Korean Ministry of Defense told the National Assembly that the combined command would be approved at the Song-Mattis meeting. And that a South Korean general would be the commander of the combined troops, an American the vice commander. The opposite is currently happening. Song and Mattis, however, assured at the press conference that the transfer of command will take place, as has already been agreed, but they did not give the timing. The idea of the future command has been agreed for four years now. This would be an entirely new hierarchy for foreign forces based in foreign countries. Everywhere, although in peacetime operational command rests with the host country, in wartime it is a US general who assumes the supreme command. According to what the Wall Street Journal wrote last week, American generals believe Seoul is not yet ready for this transformation. "Despite strong expectations from Seoul, the US administration and Congress have recently been reluctant," a diplomatic source in Seoul told JoongAng Ilbo. “The result of the last consultative meeting reflects this sentiment”. To increase this American perplexity there could also be the North Korean threat and the arrival to the presidency of Moon Jae-in, a progressive president who is not inclined to clash with Pyongyang.