The Pentagon chief praised South Korea for its plans to raise military spending and called the Asian country a ’model ally’ of the United States.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said on Nov. 4 that the U.S.–South Korean alliance will stay focused on deterring North Korea, but will also keep other regional threats in view.
After the annual security talks with his South Korean counterpart, Ahn Gyu-back, Hegseth told reporters, “There’s no doubt flexibility for regional contingencies is something we would take a look at, but we are focused on standing by our allies here and ensuring the threat of the DPRK is not a threat to the Republic of Korea and certainly continue to extend nuclear deterrence as we have before.”
DPRK stands for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the official name for North Korea. The Republic of Korea (ROK) is the official name of South Korea.
Hegseth is in South Korea for a two-day visit. On Nov. 3, Ahn accompanied Hegseth to the demilitarized zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas. The following day, he attended the 57th Security Consultative Meeting, the high-level defense meeting between the two allies.
“There was a reason why it was fitting that we went to the DMZ yesterday. It reminds you of the core of this alliance, that ultimately it’s holding the line and protecting our ally from the DPRK; it’s what we have been and continue to be oriented on,” Hegseth told reporters at the Ministry of National Defense in Seoul on Nov. 4.
“There are also a lot of threats in the world which we’re prepared for, and we’ve had a lot of good faith conversations, but centered around ensuring that the ROK is able to, as we move forward, work with them, lead the conventional defense here on the peninsula against North Korea.”
‘Model Ally’
In a speech to parliament earlier on Nov. 4, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung asked lawmakers to approve an 8.2 percent increase in defense spending, which he said would help modernize the country’s military weapons systems and reduce its reliance on the United States.
In his speech before taking questions from the press, Hegseth praised South Korea for working to increase its defense spending, which he said was critical to preserving peace, and if need be, to prevail in war.
Hegseth said that while he and Ahn acknowledge a dangerous security environment, their alliance is “stronger than ever.”
“Minister Ahn and I agreed to remain clear-eyed about the threats that we face, and that’s why we have to continue as we do every single day, as we saw at the DMZ with Korean and U.S. troops standing shoulder to shoulder, working together,” Hegseth said.
“We need to increase our defense cooperation by taking a common sense approach that is grounded in realism, building on the strong leadership of our presidents—President Trump and President Lee—and President Trump wants allies to be strong, and the Republic of Korea is a model ally.”
The Pentagon chief said that during talks, he and his counterpart agreed that defense funds would be used to increase South Korea’s capabilities to lead a conventional deterrence against North Korea.
He also highlighted the defense cooperation to repair and maintain U.S. warships in South Korea, and that the United States is planning on extending its cooperation to maintain ground equipment in the country.
