Seoul: South Korea's Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back held his first phone call with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday and agreed to strengthen cooperation on extended deterrence against North Korean threats, as well as on shipbuilding.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the phone conversation came after Ahn took office last Friday, citing North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile programs and shifting international security conditions among the key challenges facing the country. "As the first defense minister of the (Lee Jae Myung) government, I feel the heavy responsibility of further advancing the performance of the 70-year-old South Korea-U.S. alliance," Ahn was quoted by the defense ministry as saying during the call, describing the alliance as a "blood-forged" one.
Ahn and Hegseth agreed to maintain close collaboration, including efforts to deepen extended deterrence and to address North Korean threats, such as its unlawful military cooperation with Russia. Extended deterrence refers to the U.S. commitment to using the full range of its military capabilities, including nuclear arms, to defend its ally.
The two sides also agreed to continue cooperation on modernizing the South Korea-U.S. alliance in a mutually beneficial manner and expand alliance cooperation to include shipbuilding, advanced science and technology, as well as maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) projects. "I hope to further deepen and develop the South Korea-U.S. alliance into a future-oriented comprehensive strategic alliance," Ahn told Hegseth.
The U.S. defense secretary, in response, reaffirmed the U.S.' commitment to the "ironclad" defense of South Korea, the defense ministry said. Ahn and Hegseth also agreed to meet at the earliest possible date to continue their discussion on strengthening the alliance, according to the ministry.