Seoul: U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is scheduled to visit the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas and meet with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung during his visit to South Korea next week, according to a senior U.S. defense official. This visit marks Hegseth's first trip to the Asian country since assuming office earlier this year.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Hegseth's visit to South Korea will conclude his tour of Asia, which includes stops in Japan, Malaysia, and Vietnam. Upon his arrival in Korea, Hegseth, accompanied by Seoul's Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back, plans to visit the Joint Security Area (JSA) inside the DMZ and engage with Korean and American troops stationed there. This will be the first joint visit to the JSA by the defense chiefs of the two allies since October 2017.
The highlight of Hegseth's visit will be the annual Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) between the two countries, scheduled to take place at the defense ministry in Seoul on November 4. During his time in Seoul, Hegseth also plans to meet with President Lee. Discussions will focus on advancing alliance modernization, including defense spending and South Korea assuming primary responsibility for the alliance's conventional defense against North Korea.
Following the SCM, Hegseth and Ahn are expected to announce an expansion of defense industrial cooperation. Discussions are anticipated to cover issues such as Seoul's initiative to retake wartime operational control and Washington's call for increased defense spending by its Asian ally to modernize their longstanding alliance.
During his stay, Hegseth will visit Camp Humphreys, a large U.S. military base located 65 kilometers south of Seoul, to express gratitude to service members and their families. His trip to Asia coincides with the Pentagon's intensified efforts to encourage Indo-Pacific allies to contribute more to collective defense amidst the growing Sino-U.S. rivalry over maritime security, trade, and technological leadership.
The official noted that the threat from China will be a prominent theme in all of Hegseth's engagements during the trip. In Tokyo, Hegseth is slated to meet with Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi to discuss enhancing defense capabilities and improving bilateral training. In Kuala Lumpur, he will attend the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus and participate in bilateral and multilateral meetings with counterparts from several countries.
In Hanoi, Hegseth will meet Vietnamese Defense Minister Phan Van Giang and other senior leaders, focusing on strengthening defense capabilities and emphasizing the importance of allies increasing their contributions to collective defense.