Defense minister says Hegseth dismissed talk of alliance strains as 'fake news'
Summary
Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul said Friday in Seoul that U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth called speculation about strains in the Korea-U.S. alliance “fake news” during their meeting Wednesday in Cebu, Philippines. Kang said the two sides had no disagreements and that the talk could not shake the alliance. They agreed to meet again in Washington in December and postpone the annual Security Consultative Meeting until early next year. Kang said they agreed to work together on wartime operational control transfer but did not confirm a proposed 2028 target.
Key Facts
- The Cebu meeting lasted about 40 minutes, compared with the 15 minutes initially scheduled.
- Kang did not directly answer whether Washington agreed to complete full operational capability verification for the operational control transfer at the next Security Consultative Meeting.
- Kang said reported limits on intelligence sharing concerning North Korea affected only a small portion of military intelligence exchanges.
- Kang said intelligence-sharing restrictions were not discussed at Wednesday’s meeting.
Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul, right, poses with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during their meeting on the sidelines of the 13th ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting-Plus in Cebu, Philippines, Wednesday. Courtesy of Ministry of National Defense
Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul said Friday that U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth had dismissed recent speculation about strains in the Korea-U.S. alliance as “fake news” during their meeting earlier this week.
Kang made the remarks to reporters as he arrived at the defense ministry in Seoul after attending the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) in the Philippines.
Asked whether the two sides had any disagreements, Kang said there were none.
“Secretary Hegseth dismissed all the talk going around as ‘fake news,’” Kang said. “And I agree with him.”
“I don’t believe such talk can shake the strength of the Korea-U.S. alliance, nor should it,” he added.
Kang and Hegseth held their first face-to-face meeting Wednesday in Cebu, Philippines, on the sidelines of ADMM-Plus. The meeting lasted about 40 minutes, longer than the 15 minutes initially scheduled.
Their talks came amid concerns about the state of the alliance, including the postponement of the annual Security Consultative Meeting (SCM), differences over the timeline for transferring wartime operational control (OPCON) and reports of restrictions on intelligence sharing.
The two sides agreed to hold another defense ministers’ meeting in Washington in December and postpone the SCM until early next year.
Asked whether Washington had agreed to complete the full operational capability (FOC) verification for the OPCON transfer at the next SCM, Kang stopped short of giving a direct answer.
“The biggest achievement was that we agreed to work together on the OPCON transfer,” he said.
He also declined to confirm whether the U.S. had agreed to Seoul’s proposed 2028 target for the transfer.
On reports that Washington had restricted some intelligence sharing with Seoul concerning North Korea, Kang played down the issue, saying it affected only a small portion of military intelligence exchanges.
He said the matter was not discussed during Wednesday’s meeting, reiterating that the talks had reaffirmed the strength of the alliance.
Explore More
- Q.
- Q.
- Q.