US Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth on Tuesday praised South Korea’s plans to increase its military spending and take on a bigger role in defending against North Korea’s aggression.
The US wants South Korea to increase its conventional defense capabilities so that Washington can turn its attention to China.
Hegseth spoke to reporters after annual security talks with South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back in Seoul, where he said he was “strongly encouraged” by Seoul’s commitment to increase defense spending and invest more in its own military capabilities.
He said the two allies agreed that the investments would enhance South Korea’s ability to lead its conventional deterrent against its northern enemy.
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U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (left) looks on as South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back (right) speaks during a joint press conference following the 57th Security Consultation at the Ministry of Defense in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, November 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 would help modernize the military’s weapons systems and reduce dependence on the U.S.
Hegseth pointed to defense cooperation in repairing and maintaining U.S. warships in South Korea, emphasizing that the activities leverage South Korea’s shipbuilding capabilities and “ensure our most lethal capabilities remain ready to respond to any crisis.”
“We face, as we both recognize, 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-back, center, visit the Ouellette Observation Post near the border village of Panmunjom, South Korea, Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. (AP)
Hegseth said the South Korea-US alliance is primarily intended to respond to possible North Korean aggression, but other regional threats must also be addressed.
“There is no doubt that flexibility for regional contingencies is something we would want to look at, but we are focused on assisting our allies here and ensuring the threat of [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] is not a threat to the Republic of Korea and will certainly continue to expand the nuclear deterrent as we have done before,” he said.
In recent years, the US and South Korea have discussed how to integrate US nuclear weapons and South Korean conventional weapons.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (left) shakes hands with South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back for a photo during the 57th Security Consultative Meeting at the Ministry of Defense in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, November 4, 2025. (AP)
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South Korea does not possess nuclear weapons, and Ahn denies speculation that the country could eventually establish its own nuclear weapons program or that it will push for the redeployment of U.S. tactical weapons that were removed from South Korea in the 1990s.
Earlier Tuesday, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the country had detected a test fire of about 10 artillery rounds by North Korea toward western waters on Monday, shortly before Hegseth arrived with Ahn at an inter-Korean border village to begin his two-day visit to South Korea.
Hegseth visited the demilitarized zone on the border with North Korea earlier this week.
