US Defense Department Issues No Statement on South Korea-US Defense Ministerial Meeting, Says "Nothing to Distribute"

The US Department of Defense did not release a separate press statement following the bilateral defense ministerial meeting between South Korea and the US held on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus).

Speaking on the 29th local time, a US Department of Defense official stated regarding the South Korea-US defense ministerial meeting press release that there was "nothing to distribute."

Typically, when ministerial meetings take place, both sides issue press statements.

South Korea's Ministry of National Defense issued a press release stating that the South Korean and US defense ministers agreed to hold a bilateral meeting in Washington, D.C., in December of this year, and based on that, hold the Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) early next year.

The US Department of Defense did distribute press releases regarding Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's meetings with the defense ministers of Japan, Australia, India, the Philippines, and Singapore on the sidelines of the ADMM-Plus.

Secretary Hegseth also posted photos taken with the ministers from each country on the social media platform X.

He also uploaded a photo taken with Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul, writing, "The U.S.-ROK alliance is anchored in peace through strength, with ready forces, decisive capabilities, and a combined combat force that deters provocations. The U.S. stands with allies who are serious about their own defense."

South Korea has been pushing to derive the target year for the wartime operational control (OPCON) transition during this SCM.

As the SCM, which usually takes place between late October and early November, has been postponed to next year, attention is focusing on the direction of coordination over differences between South Korea and the US.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.