Hegseth says 'special favor' for 'model allies' like Korea, consequences for those failing to do their part
Published: 07 Dec. 2025, 14:08
Updated: 07 Dec. 2025, 16:58
![U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks during the Reagan National Defense Forum at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California on Dec. 6. [REUTERS/YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/12/07/732c2c90-0fc1-4cce-b3f3-15ee1f572e59.jpg)
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks during the Reagan National Defense Forum at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California on Dec. 6. [REUTERS/YONHAP]
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Saturday that "model allies" like South Korea that step up for their own defense will get a "special favor" from Washington, while warning of "consequences" for those that fail to do so.
Hegseth made the remarks during the Reagan National Defense Forum in Simi Valley, California, noting that South Korea and members of NATO have committed to increasing defense spending following U.S. President Donald Trump's push for the allies to take greater security burdens.
"Model allies that step up, like Israel, South Korea, Poland, increasingly Germany, the Baltics and others, will receive our special favor," he said. "Allies that still fail to do their part for collective defense will face consequences."
Noting Seoul's plan to boost defense spending, Hegseth expressed expectations that other allies in the Indo-Pacific will follow suit.
"Just last month, South Korea committed to spend 3.5 [percent of] GDP on core military spending and assume the leading role in the ROK's conventional defense," he said. ROK is short for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea.
South Korea has committed to the defense spending target following a NATO summit in June, where the members of the trans-Atlantic alliance committed to spending at least 3.5 percent of GDP annually on core defense expenditures by 2035 and up to 1.5 percent of GDP on other security-related investments.
![U.S. Forces Korea Stryker armored vehicles and Korean K200 armored vehicles are crossing a pontoon bridge during a combined exercise in Yeoju, Gyeonggi, on Aug. 27. [YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/12/07/096b9c46-7f60-4b65-98ff-0d410d55bb2a.jpg)
U.S. Forces Korea Stryker armored vehicles and Korean K200 armored vehicles are crossing a pontoon bridge during a combined exercise in Yeoju, Gyeonggi, on Aug. 27. [YONHAP]
Seoul's spending commitment was codified in a recently released joint fact sheet encompassing trade and security agreements that were finalized during a summit between South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and President Donald Trump in Gyeongju in late October.
Hegseth cited a series of security challenges across the globe, including North Korean threats, as he reiterated the need for allies to "step up for real."
"Our allies in Europe face Russia. Iran has been set back by the president and Israel's actions but remains a threat in the Middle East," he said. "And of course, North Korea looms on the Korean Peninsula."
The secretary highlighted the Trump administration's priority on "burden sharing" and "burden shifting" as it has been calling on allies and partners to increase security contributions amid China's growing assertiveness and North Korea's nuclear threats, to name a few.
"Burden sharing is no longer an afterthought or a nice-to-have," he said. "Today, it is a core element of our national defense."
Commenting on China, he said that the Trump administration focuses on deterring China "through strength, not through confrontation" while pointing out that it seeks a "stable peace, fair trade and respectful relations" with the Asian superpower.
He also said that the United States' deterrence efforts are not about dominating China, but about ensuring that the Asian rival does not have the ability to dominate the United States or its allies.
"It's our job to make sure Beijing sees unquestionable U.S. military strength that, if necessary, can back up our national interests even as we make clear our peaceful intentions," he said.
His speech came after the White House released a new National Security Strategy on Thursday, underlining the Trump administration's priorities on defending the U.S. homeland, reasserting American power on the Western Hemisphere, deterring a conflict over Taiwan, and sharing security burdens with allies and partners.
Yonhap
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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