Defense Ministry: "S. Korea-U.S. Defense Ministerial Talks in December, SCM Early Next Year"

The Ministry of National Defense announced that during the first in-person meeting between Defense Minister Kang shin-chul and U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, the two sides agreed to hold a defense ministerial meeting in Washington this December and convene the South Korea-U.S. Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) early next year.

The ministry stated that the bilateral defense ministerial talks took place on October 27 on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) held in Cebu, Philippines.

This marks the first time Minister Kang has met with Secretary Hegseth since taking office.

Emphasizing that the South Korea-U.S. alliance has served as a linchpin of regional peace and prosperity over the past 70 years, Minister Kang expressed hope to further develop the alliance into a future-oriented, comprehensive strategic alliance based on solid mutual trust and the commitment to "fight together."

In response, Secretary Hegseth replied that he looks forward to strengthening cooperation between the defense authorities of both nations while maintaining a robust combined defense posture.

South Korea's defense ministry announced that Secretary Hegseth reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON).

The ministry also added, "Both ministers agreed to cooperate closely so that the OPCON transfer can proceed smoothly and in a timely manner."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.