First Call Between Korean and US Defense Ministers: "Deepening and Expanding Cooperation Level"

Maintaining and Advancing ROK-US-Japan Security Cooperation
Based on the ROK-US Alliance

The defense ministers of South Korea and the United States held their first phone call and agreed to maintain a strong combined defense posture to deter North Korean provocations. They also decided to further deepen and expand the level and scope of the ROK-US alliance cooperation.

According to the Ministry of National Defense on the 31st, Acting Minister Kim Seon-ho and newly appointed U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth reaffirmed the strength of the ROK-US alliance during their first coordination call that morning and agreed to continue close cooperation between the two countries.

Acting Minister of National Defense Kim Seon-ho had his first coordination call with newly appointed U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on the 31st. Photo by Ministry of National Defense

Acting Minister Kim congratulated Secretary Hegseth on his appointment and expressed expectations that he would excellently carry out the heavy responsibilities of the U.S. Secretary of Defense during this critical time in the international security situation. Secretary Hegseth reaffirmed the United States' ironclad commitment to the defense of the Republic of Korea and promised to work closely with the Korean side to further strengthen the ROK-US alliance based on the long-standing trust and friendship between the two countries.

The two ministers highly evaluated the achievements of the ROK-US alliance, which has developed over the past 70 years as a key pillar of peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the region, and reached a consensus that the level and scope of cooperation within the alliance should be further deepened and developed.

In particular, the two ministers agreed that maintaining a strong combined defense posture and stable management of alliance issues to effectively deter and respond to North Korea's advancing nuclear and missile threats is more important than ever.

Meanwhile, the two ministers expressed serious concerns about the deepening military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, noting that it poses a grave threat not only to the Korean Peninsula but also to global security, and agreed to respond through close coordination with the international community. They also agreed to continue maintaining and developing ROK-US-Japan security cooperation based on the ROK-US alliance to deter North Korean threats not only on the Korean Peninsula but also in the Indo-Pacific region.

Furthermore, Acting Minister Kim and Secretary Hegseth agreed that close ROK-US cooperation is a key element in the development of the ROK-US alliance into a "global comprehensive strategic alliance" and decided to communicate regularly on major issues concerning the alliance.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.