U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth will visit Korea early next month to attend the 57th Security Consultative Meeting (SCM). Hegseth will begin his schedule by visiting the Joint Security Area (JSA) at Panmunjom to meet Minister Ahn Gyu-baek of the Ministry of National Defense and encourage South Korean and U.S. service members stationed in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).
A senior U.S. Department of Defense official said on the 28th aboard a private jet bound for Japan, "Starting with a visit to the JSA, Secretary Hegseth will visit major U.S. Forces Korea facilities, including Camp Humphreys," and "will discuss key pending issues such as modernization of the South Korea-U.S. alliance, defense cost sharing, and the transfer of wartime operational control."
Hegseth's schedule in Korea will span two days, from the 3rd to the 4th of next month, and on the 4th he will co-chair the 57th SCM in Seoul with Minister Ahn Gyu-baek. The SCM is the highest-level security meeting to coordinate and consult on major military policies of the two countries.
The official said, "We are aware of the Lee Jae-myung administration's goal of 'transferring wartime operational control (OPCON) within the term,' and strongly support Korea taking a more leading role in conventional defense to deter North Korea."
The official added, "The SCM is the centerpiece of this trip," and "the two Ministers will announce plans to expand defense industry cooperation after the meeting."
On the possibility of reducing U.S. Forces Korea, the official drew a line, saying, "There is nothing to announce at this time." The official emphasized, "Secretary Hegseth views the Indo-Pacific as the United States' priority theater of operations and places the deterrence of China as the top priority of the Ministry of National Defense," adding, "Homeland defense and deterring China are tasks that can proceed in parallel."
During this trip, Hegseth is visiting major countries in the Indo-Pacific in succession, including Hawaii, Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Korea.