Lee Hyo-jin covers the Bank of Korea, the banking industry and broader financial news. Her previous beats include foreign affairs, North Korea and general reporting on Korean society.
Acting defense minister to skip major security dialogue in Singapore
Acting Defense Minister Kim Seon-ho speaks during a parliamentary session at the National Assembly in Seoul, Feb. 11. Yonhap
By Lee Hyo-jin
Seoul, Washington defense ministerial talks delayed again
Acting Defense Minister Kim Seon-ho is expected to skip the annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore in late May, a move critics warn could weaken Korea’s voice in regional security discussions amid a prolonged leadership vacuum.
According to the Ministry of National Defense on Friday, Kim’s absence is under review due to the timing of the forum, which falls just days before Korea's June 3 snap presidential election, triggered by the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol for declaring martial law.
"Given the overall domestic and international situation at the time of the Shangri-La Dialogue, it would be more appropriate for the acting minister to remain in the country," a ministry official said, adding that a final decision has yet to be made.
The Shangri-La Dialogue is a major international security forum that brings together defense chiefs from the United States, China, Japan and countries across the Indo-Pacific and Europe. Korea has participated every year since the forum’s launch in 2002, usually represented by its defense minister.
If Kim does not attend, Cho Chang-rae, deputy minister for national defense policy and the No. 3 official in the ministry’s hierarchy, is expected to attend in his place.
However, Cho’s lower rank may limit opportunities for bilateral meetings, as most delegations will be led by top ministers.
Kim’s likely absence comes at a particularly sensitive time, as Seoul appears increasingly sidelined in regional security talks while the U.S.' Donald Trump administration is beginning to outline its Indo-Pacific strategy.
In March, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth notably left Seoul off his itinerary during his first official trip to Asia amid Korea's impeachment crisis. As a result, the upcoming Shangri-La Dialogue had been widely anticipated as a venue for Kim and Hegseth’s first in-person meeting.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reacts as he meets with El Salvador Defense Minister Rene Merino Monroy at the Pentagon in Washington, Wednesday (local time). Reuters-Yonhap
"Korea’s presence at such international forums is critical, especially as its credibility and voice have diminished following the martial law fiasco," said a security analyst at a state-run think tank, on condition of anonymity.
The analyst noted that the forum in Singapore could serve as a rare opportunity for defense officials to respond to Japan’s reported proposal to the U.S. for a "one theater" concept, which seeks to integrate the East China Sea, South China Sea and Korean Peninsula into a single operational zone for military cooperation.
According to Japanese media reports, Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani proposed the idea to Hegseth, who welcomed the proposal, during the latter’s visit to Tokyo in March.
Another key security agenda for Korea is Trump's renewed pressure for Seoul to significantly increase its share of the costs for stationing the 28,500 United States Forces Korea (USFK) troops. Trump has repeatedly insisted that Korea should pay more for the upkeep of American forces on the peninsula.
In addition, several officials in Washington have suggested expanding the USFK’s mission beyond deterring threats from Pyongyang to include countering China, a shift that has raised concerns in Seoul.
"The decision to skip the forum means missing an opportunity to meet Hegseth and communicate Korea’s perspective on the alliance — something Hegseth appears to know little about. But domestic security concerns during the election period seem to have limited Kim’s overseas trip," said Park Won-gon, a professor of North Korean studies at Ewha Womans University.
However, Park added that even if Kim were to attend, arranging high-level bilateral or trilateral meetings with the U.S. or Japan would have been difficult due to his interim status.
Some experts noted that the prospect of a leadership change following the presidential election would limit substantive discussions with key security partners as another reason behind Kim’s likely decision to skip the forum.
“With a new administration about to take over, the acting minister may have judged that it would be inappropriate to engage in major discussions,” said Kim Yeoul-soo, a senior analyst at the Korea Institute for Military Affairs.