Pete Hegseth praises South Korea’s commitment to defense spending boost
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US Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth on Tuesday praised South Korea’s plans to increase its military spending and take a larger role in defending itself against attacks by North Korea.
The United States wanted South Korea to increase its conventional defense capabilities so that Washington could focus its attention on China.
Hegseth told reporters after annual security talks in Seoul with South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu that he was “greatly encouraged” by Seoul’s determination to increase defense spending and invest more in its own military capabilities.
He said the two allies agreed that the investments would increase South Korea’s ability to bolster its conventional deterrent against its northern enemy.
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U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (left) watches South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back (right) speak at a joint press conference following the 57th Security Consultative Meeting in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. (AP)
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung asked lawmakers to approve an 8.2% increase in defense spending next year in a speech to parliament on Tuesday. The president said the increase in spending would help modernize the military’s weapons systems and reduce its dependence on the United States.
Hegseth noted defense cooperation on the repair and maintenance of U.S. warships in South Korea, emphasizing that the activities leverage 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. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (second from left) and South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back (center) visit Observation Post Ouellette near the border village of Panmunjom, South Korea, on Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. (AP)
Hegseth said the primary goal of the South Korea-US alliance is to respond to potential attacks by North Korea, but other regional threats also need to be addressed.
“There’s no doubt that resilience to regional contingencies is something we’ll consider, but here we’re focused on standing with our allies and securing U.S. threats.” [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] “It is not a threat to the Republic of Korea, and we will certainly continue to expand nuclear deterrence as before,” he said.
In recent years, the United States and South Korea have discussed how to integrate U.S. nuclear weapons with South Korea’s conventional weapons.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (left) shakes hands with South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back for a photo at the 57th Security Advisory Meeting in Seoul, South Korea, on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. (AP)
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South Korea has no nuclear weapons, and Ahn denied speculation that it might eventually establish its own nuclear weapons program or push for the redeployment of U.S. tactical weapons weapons removed from South Korea in the 1990s.
Earlier Tuesday, South Korea’s chief of staff said the country had detected about 10 artillery launches toward North Korea’s western waters shortly before Hegseth arrived at the inter-Korean border village of 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.
