Pete Hegseth says South Korea will shoulder more of its own defense, and Trump just greenlit something major

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that South Korea is going to do more to protect itself from North Korea. This comes after Seoul promised to spend more money on building up its military forces.

According to The Hill, Hegseth said he feels “greatly encouraged” by what South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back has promised. Ahn said his country will spend more on defense and put money into building better military equipment.

This includes “critical” missile defense systems and space technology that “our forces need to preserve the peace and prevail, God forbid, in war,” Hegseth explained.

South Korea is stepping up while keeping nukes off the table

Back in early October, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said his country will raise defense spending by 8.2 percent next year. That money will be used to build things like drones that can fly on their own, missiles that hit their targets more accurately, and robots for combat.

Hegseth also pointed out that the friendship between Washington and Seoul is “stronger than ever before” and talked about a deal that lets American ships get fixed in South Korea.

The United States has been South Korea’s main ally for a long time, especially when dealing with threats from North Korea. Earlier this week, Hegseth went to the Demilitarized Zone, which is the border between North and South Korea.

He said the biggest goal of the partnership between the two countries is still to stop North Korea from attacking.

But South Korea will not be making its own nuclear weapons. Defense Minister Ahn completely rejected that idea, even though his country wants to get stronger in other military areas.

Last week, President Trump said something big when he revealed that South Korea can now build a nuclear-powered submarine in Philadelphia. He shared this news when he was talking about a trade deal with South Korea. Hegseth backed this up and said the Pentagon will work “closely” with the Energy and State departments to help make it happen.

Hegseth talked about why Trump made this decision. He said “President Trump wants our allies to be strong, and the Republic of Korea is a model ally.” He went on to say that “because of that, the president has been open to Korea acquiring greater and more advanced capabilities.”

Hegseth said he believes the two countries will keep working together to make the area safer. “I’m confident that we will continue to lead the region toward a more safe and secure future,” he said. The bigger defense budget and the submarine project show how Trump wants allies to take care of more of their own defense needs while still staying close partners with America.