Overview
- Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are set to tour the Joint Security Area, the first such joint visit since 2017.
- The pair will co-chair the annual Security Consultative Meeting on Tuesday to set alliance policy and review defenses against North Korea.
- Washington is considering greater operational flexibility for the roughly 28,500 U.S. troops in South Korea to address wider regional contingencies.
- Seoul has pushed back on changing U.S. troop roles as it expands capabilities with the goal of taking wartime command and prepares a sizable 2026 defense budget increase.
- Hegseth is expected to meet troops at the DMZ and visit Camp Humphreys, as North Korea’s advances in missiles and conventional forces sharpen the talks’ urgency.