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US Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth on Tuesday praised South Korea’s plans to increase its military spending and play a bigger role in defending itself from North Korean aggression.
The US wants South Korea to increase its conventional defense capabilities so that Washington can focus its attention on China.
Hegseth spoke to reporters in Seoul after annual security talks with South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-bak, where he said he was “very encouraged” by Seoul’s commitment to increase defense spending and invest more in its military capabilities.
He said the two allies agreed that the investment would boost South Korea’s ability to lead a conventional deterrent against its northern enemy.
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U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, left, looks at South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-baek, right, during a joint press conference following the 57th Security Advisor Meeting at the Ministry of Defense in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. (AP)
South Korean President Lee Jae-Myung asked lawmakers in a speech to parliament on Tuesday to approve an 8.2% increase in defense spending next year. The President said the increase in spending will help modernize the military’s weapon systems and reduce its dependence on the US.
Hegseth noted defense cooperation on repair and maintenance of U.S. warships in South Korea, emphasizing that the activities utilize South Korea’s shipbuilding capabilities and “ensure that our most lethal capabilities remain ready to respond to any crisis.”
“As we both acknowledge, we face a dangerous security environment, but our alliance is stronger than ever,” Hegseth said.
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U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, second from left, and South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-baek, center, visit Observation Post Ouellette near the South Korean border village of Panmunjom, Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. (AP)
Hegseth said the South Korea-US alliance is primarily meant to respond to potential aggression by North Korea, but other regional threats should also be addressed.
“There is no doubt that we will look at flexibility for regional contingencies, but we are focused here on standing with our allies and ensuring the threat is met. [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] There is no threat to the Republic of Korea and of course we will continue to expand nuclear deterrence as before.”
In recent years, the US and South Korea have discussed how to integrate US nuclear weapons and South Korean conventional weapons.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, left, shakes hands with South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-bak for a photo at the 57th Security Advisory Meeting at the Ministry of Defense in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. (AP)
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South Korea has no nuclear weapons, and Ahn denied speculation that he might eventually seek his own nuclear weapons program or that he is pushing for the redeployment of U.S. strategic warheads removed from South Korea in the 1990s.
Earlier on Tuesday, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the country detected North Korea firing about 10 rounds of artillery toward its western waters on Monday, just before Hegseth arrived at an inter-Korean border village with Ahn to begin his two-day visit to South Korea.
Hegseth visited the demilitarized zone on the border with North Korea earlier in the week.
