OPLAN 5029 is a proposed military operation plan by the United States and South Korea for dealing with "sudden change" in North Korea, such as a coup d'état, revolution, large scale defections, outflow of weapons of mass destruction, hostage situations involving South Koreans, or major natural disasters. While no permanent version of OPLAN 5029 is known to be in effect, South Korea has repeatedly stated it adheres to the current conceptual plan (CONPLAN 5029) and the United States has said it is preparing concrete plans for collapse scenarios. History In August 1999, General John H. Tilelli, Jr., commander of United States Forces Korea, acknowledged the existence of a scenario and plan by ROK-US Combined Forces Command involving the collapse of North Korea, stating "it would be unusual if we didn't have one". In early 2005, the South Korean National Security Council vetoed an American proposal to upgrade CONPLAN 5029's general course of action to the specific military plans of an operational plan, where the United States would have command over South Korean military assets in the event of a North Korean collapse. South Korean officials feared the plan might limit "South Korea's exercise of its sovereignty", though American officials argued it would be necessary for securing sensitive nuclear and military facilities as well as protecting the general public. In June 2005, South Korean Defense Minister Yoon Kwang-ung and US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld agreed to further "improve and develop" the concept plan. Throughout late 2008, in response to rumors of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il being in poor health, references were made to response plans. Discussions in October between US Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates and South Korean Minister of National Defense Lee Sang-hee over the planned transition of wartime operations to South Korean forces also included continued formulation of an operation plan for a North Korean collapse, after a proposal made in an earlier meeting between the American and South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff. In a speech to the Korea Retired Generals and Admirals Association, U.S. Forces Korea Commander General Walter L. Sharp announced that response plans to a variety of situations involving North Korea, including instability and regime change, had been prepared. The DPRK's Korean Central News Agency responded by claiming that "the U.S. and the South Korean war-like forces [had] openly held an anti-DPRK military confab at which they agreed to 'rapidly dispatch reinforcements