Overview
- After annual security talks in Seoul, Pete Hegseth praised South Korea’s plan to increase defense spending and said Seoul will take a larger lead in conventional deterrence against North Korea.
- South Korea’s president, Lee Jae Myung, asked parliament to approve an 8.2% defense budget increase to modernize forces and lessen reliance on U.S. capabilities.
- Hegseth said he and Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back agreed to collaborate on maintaining and repairing U.S. warships in South Korea, citing the country’s advanced shipbuilding capacity.
- The ministers did not issue a joint communique, with Hegseth saying there were no differences but that a larger agreement requires more time, as discussions continue on issues including wartime operational control implementation.
- South Korea reported North Korea fired about ten artillery rounds into western waters shortly before Hegseth’s border visit, and the allies staged a first-of-its-kind combined F-16 formation flight over Pyeongtaek to underscore readiness.