U.S. Defense Secretary Calls Recent South Korea-U.S. Alliance Concerns 'Fake News'

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth responded to recent concerns about the South Korea-U.S. alliance, labeling them as 'fake news,' according to South Korean Defense Minister Kang Shin-cheol.

On October 30, Minister Kang spoke to reporters as he returned to the Defense Ministry after attending the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) in the Philippines. When asked whether there were any disagreements between South Korea and the U.S., he stated, 'There were no disagreements,' reflecting the positive atmosphere of the talks.

Kang added, 'In fact, Secretary Hegseth made a clear statement regarding the many discussions circulating. He called it fake news,' and he expressed his agreement with that assessment. He emphasized that such narratives cannot undermine the strength of the South Korea-U.S. alliance, nor should they.

Previously, on October 28, Kang held a separate 40-minute meeting with Secretary Hegseth during the ADMM-Plus. During this meeting, when the South Korean side raised concerns about the recent reports regarding the alliance, Hegseth reportedly responded, 'I don’t believe it; it’s fake news.'

However, when asked whether an agreement had been reached with the U.S. regarding the verification of Full Operational Capability (FOC) for the future Combined Forces Command to set a target year for the transfer of wartime operational control, Kang avoided giving a clear answer. Instead, he noted, 'The most significant outcome is that we agreed to align our intentions regarding the transfer of operational control.'

He reiterated, 'This meeting was a good opportunity to reaffirm the solidity of the South Korea-U.S. alliance.'

Meanwhile, when questioned about discussions to quickly ease restrictions on North Korea-related intelligence sharing between South Korea and the U.S., Kang stated, 'Militarily, it is a very small part, so we do not have a significant concern about it,' adding, 'You can think of it as a different area of intelligence.'

Earlier, concerns about the South Korea-U.S. alliance were raised in the opposition party following delays in U.S. visa issuance for lawmakers Jeong Cheong-rae and Jin Sung-jun.

* This article has been translated by AI.