NEWNow you can hearken to Fox Information articles!
U.S. Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth on Tuesday lauded South Korea’s plans to spice up its army spending and tackle a bigger position in defending itself from North Korea’s aggressions.
The U.S. has needed South Korea to extend its typical protection capabilities in order that Washington can heart its consideration on China.
Hegseth spoke to reporters after annual safety talks with South Korean Protection Minister Ahn Gyu-back in Seoul, the place he stated he was “drastically inspired” by Seoul’s dedication to elevating protection spending and making better investments in its personal army capabilities.
He stated the 2 allies agreed that the investments would enhance South Korea’s potential to guide its typical deterrence in opposition to its northern foe.
US, CHINA AGREE TO OPEN DIRECT MILITARY HOTLINE AFTER XI-TRUMP SUMMIT
U.S. Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth, left, appears on as South Korean Protection Minister Ahn Gyu-back, proper, speaks in the course of the joint press convention following the 57th Safety Consultative Assembly on the Protection Ministry in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. (AP)
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, in a speech to parliament on Tuesday, requested lawmakers to approve an 8.2% improve in protection spending subsequent yr. The president stated the rise in spending would assist modernize the army’s weapons methods and scale back its reliance on the U.S.
Hegseth famous protection cooperation on repairing and sustaining U.S. warships in South Korea, stressing that the actions harness South Korea’s shipbuilding capabilities and “guarantee our most deadly capabilities stay prepared to answer any disaster.”
“We face, as we each acknowledge, a harmful safety atmosphere, however our alliance is stronger than ever,” Hegseth stated.
U.S. Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth, second from left, and South Korean Protection Minister Ahn Gyu-back, heart, go to the Statement Submit Ouellette close to the border village of Panmunjom, South Korea, Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. (AP)
Hegseth stated the South Korea-U.S. alliance is primarily meant to answer potential North Korean aggressions, however that different regional threats should even be addressed.
“There’s little doubt flexibility for regional contingencies is one thing we might check out, however we’re centered on standing by our allies right here and making certain the specter of the [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] isn’t a risk to the Republic of Korea and definitely proceed to increase nuclear deterrence as now we have earlier than,” he stated.
In recent times, the U.S. and South Korea have mentioned easy methods to combine U.S. nuclear weapons and South Korean typical weapons.
U.S. Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth, left, shakes palms with South Korean Protection Minister Ahn Gyu-back for a photograph on the 57th Safety Consultative Assembly on the Protection Ministry in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. (AP)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
South Korea has no nuclear weapons, and Ahn denied hypothesis that it may finally search its personal nuclear weapons program or is pushing for redeployment of U.S. tactical weapon weapons that have been faraway from South Korea within the Nineteen Nineties.
Earlier on Tuesday, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Workers stated the nation detected North Korea test-firing round 10 rounds of artillery towards its western waters on Monday, shortly earlier than Hegseth arrived at an inter-Korean border village with Ahn to start his two-day go to to South Korea.
Hegseth visited the Demilitarized Zone on the border with North Korea earlier within the week.
