On Sunday (25th), Elbridge Colby, Deputy Secretary of War Department Policy, visited South Korea and held talks with senior officials including South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun. After concluding his trip to South Korea, Colby will also visit Japan.
Colby took to social media platform X on Monday and stated that South Korea’s commitment to increase defense spending to 3.5% of GDP is commendable and sets an example for allies. He wrote, “South Korea is a model ally, committed to reaching the global standard of increasing defense spending to 3.5% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and taking on more defense responsibilities within the alliance framework… I look forward to discussing with our South Korean partners how to deepen and modernize our vital alliance relationship.”
Colby also expressed that the War Department will actively fulfill its duties to ensure that the key agreements reached at last year’s South Korea-US summit are implemented with a sense of urgency.
According to reports from Yonhap News Agency on January 26, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and Colby held a breakfast meeting, exchanging views on follow-up measures after the US-Korea summit, issues regarding the Korean Peninsula, and strengthening the South Korea-US alliance.
Cho mentioned that the cooperation project on Korean-American nuclear submarines is expected to enhance South Korea’s deterrence capabilities, thereby contributing to the South Korea-US alliance. He emphasized the need for official negotiations between the two countries’ working levels to initiate and promote the development of concrete implementation plans.
Cho praised the achievements of the two South Korea-US summits last year in promoting the alliance towards a mutually beneficial and future-oriented direction. He expressed hope for continued close communication and cooperation between the foreign affairs and defense departments of both countries to achieve tangible results as soon as possible.
Additionally, as reported by the Central News Agency, the United States War Department confirmed through email that Colby’s visit to South Korea and Japan aims to advance President Trump’s agenda of “peace through strength.” This trip highlights the importance of the Indo-Pacific region and the US-Japan-South Korea alliance.
Just before Colby’s visit to South Korea, on January 23, the US War Department released the first defense strategic report for Trump’s second term, which proposed that allies and partners worldwide should increase their defense spending to 5% of GDP, including 3.5% for core military expenditures and 1.5% for security-related expenses.
The strategic report also emphasized the responsibilities of US allied partners in regional defense and burden-sharing to counter threats from China and North Korea. It mentioned that “South Korea has the capability to bear the primary responsibility of deterring North Korea while accepting limited US support.”