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Korea, U.S. defense chiefs agree on 'modernization of alliance' in first phone call

Published: 31 Jul. 2025, 15:19 Updated: 31 Jul. 2025, 16:53

Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back [YONHAP]

In their first phone call since the launch of the Lee Jae Myung administration, the defense ministers of Korea and the United States agreed to “consult on the mutually beneficial modernization of the alliance,” Korea’s Ministry of National Defense said Thursday.

The phrase “modernization of the alliance” is closely associated with the concept of “strategic flexibility” advocated by the second Donald Trump administration, which includes the possible realignment of the role and size of U.S. Forces Korea. This is effectively the first time the Korean government has formally used the term.

Observers say Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back’s endorsement of the term could be interpreted as Seoul accepting Washington’s framing, or at least opening the door to formal talks based on it.

According to the Defense Ministry, Ahn and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth held their first bilateral call Thursday morning, during which they reviewed regional security developments and reaffirmed the strength of the Korea-U.S. alliance and combined defense posture.

The ministers “agreed to continue discussions on modernizing the Korea-U.S. alliance in a mutually beneficial manner in response to the evolving regional security environment,” the ministry said, adding that both sides also agreed to expand alliance cooperation in fields such as shipbuilding, maintenance, repair and overhaul and advanced science and technology.

Although the Trump administration repeatedly pushed for "modernizing the alliance" as part of its broader military realignment strategy, Seoul has until now refrained from directly using the phrase. Korean officials have preferred the term “future-oriented comprehensive strategic alliance,” in part to avoid connotations that modernization means reducing U.S. troop presence in Korea.

Ahn echoed this view during the call, saying he hoped to further develop the alliance into a “future-oriented comprehensive strategic alliance.”

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks next to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington on July 8. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Nonetheless, Ahn’s inclusion of “modernization of the alliance” in an official statement has raised concerns that Korea could become entangled in Washington’s framing. This marks a shift from the 26th Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD) held in Washington in May, where the phrase did not appear in the final communiqué.

Washington is currently reviewing global troop deployments and expenditures, and Seoul’s posture could determine whether alliance modernization becomes a key bilateral agenda.

The language could also reflect considerations around the transfer of wartime operational control, which remains a policy goal of the Lee administration, as it was under previous governments. The phrase “mutually beneficial modernization” may be an effort to capture both countries’ priorities.

The call took place six days after Ahn assumed office on July 25 and marks a return to regular communication between the defense chiefs, which had stalled since the Dec. 3 martial law crisis last year.

Although Vice Minister Kim Seon-ho, acting defense minister at the time, spoke with Hegseth shortly after his appointment in January, the U.S. defense chief notably skipped Korea during his first tour of East Asia. Korea also sent only working-level officials to the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore in late May, citing the presidential election period.

President Lee Jae Myung listens to Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Young-hoon on industrial safety measures at a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office in Yongsan, central Seoul, on July 29. [YONHAP]

“As the first defense minister of the 'popular sovereignty government,' I feel a great responsibility to advance the achievements of the Korea-U.S. alliance built over the past 70 years,” Ahn said during the call. “The Korea-U.S. alliance is a blood-forged alliance and an inseparable relationship, like two wheels of a cart.”

Hegseth, in response, reaffirmed “the ironclad commitment of the United States to the defense of the Republic of Korea,” according to the ministry.

The ministers also agreed to address “North Korean threats, including illegal military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow.” Notably, the phrase “nuclear and missile threats” was omitted in favor of broader language, and there was no mention of the Nuclear Consultative Group — only that the two sides would “deepen cooperation” on extended deterrence.

The two ministers also agreed to meet “at the earliest possible time,” and their respective defense authorities are coordinating the timing of the annual Security Consultative Meeting to be held in Seoul later this year.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY LEE YU-JUNG [[email protected]]