The U.S. Pentagon chief on Tuesday commended South Korea’s intentions to increase its military expenditures and assume a greater role in its own defense against North Korean aggression.
The United States has expressed a desire for South Korea to enhance its conventional defense capabilities, enabling Washington to shift its strategic focus towards China.
Hegseth addressed reporters following annual security discussions with South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back in Seoul, where he conveyed that he was “greatly encouraged” by Seoul’s commitment to boosting defense spending and making more significant investments in its military assets.
He indicated that the two allied nations agreed these investments would strengthen South Korea’s capacity to lead its conventional deterrence efforts against its northern adversary.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, in a speech to parliament on Tuesday, requested lawmakers to approve an 8.2% increase in defense spending for the upcoming year. The president explained that this budget increase would aid in modernizing the military’s weapon systems and reducing its reliance on the U.S.
Hegseth also highlighted defense collaboration concerning the repair and maintenance of U.S. warships in South Korea, underscoring that these activities utilize South Korea’s shipbuilding capabilities and “ensure our most lethal capabilities remain ready to respond to any crisis.”
“We face, as we both acknowledge, a dangerous security environment, but our alliance is stronger than ever,” Hegseth stated.
Hegseth mentioned that the South Korea-U.S. alliance is primarily configured to address potential , but other regional security threats must also be considered.
“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 [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] is not a threat to the Republic of Korea and certainly continue to extend nuclear deterrence as we have before,” he remarked.
In recent years, the U.S. and South Korea have engaged in discussions regarding the integration of and South Korean conventional weapons.
South Korea does not possess nuclear weapons, and Ahn dismissed speculation that it might eventually pursue its own nuclear weapons program or that it is advocating for the redeployment of U.S. tactical weapon weapons that were removed from South Korea in the 1990s.
Earlier on Tuesday, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that the country had detected North Korea test-firing approximately 10 rounds of artillery towards its western waters on Monday, an event that occurred shortly before Hegseth arrived at an inter-Korean border village with Ahn to commence his two-day visit to South Korea.
Hegseth had previously visited the Demilitarized Zone on the border with North Korea earlier in the week.