US Defense Chief Pete Hegseth to Visit Seoul for First Security Talks with South Korea

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth will visit Seoul next week for his first official meeting with South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back, South Korea’s Defense Ministry announced Monday. The visit will mark the 57th Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) between the two allies and Hegseth’s first trip to the country since taking office.
Scheduled for November 4, the annual meeting—hosted alternately by Washington and Seoul—will bring together senior defense and foreign-affairs officials from both nations. The two leaders are expected to discuss a broad range of strategic and security issues to strengthen the U.S.-South Korea alliance amid evolving regional threats.
The agenda will include coordination on North Korea policy, combined defense posture, extended deterrence commitments, and cooperation in emerging security domains such as cyber, space, and missile defense. Defense-industrial collaboration in shipbuilding, maintenance, and repair is also expected to be discussed.
Hegseth’s visit was initially planned for March but postponed due to South Korea’s internal political turmoil and scheduling conflicts in Washington. His trip now marks a significant step toward reaffirming U.S.-South Korea defense cooperation in a period of heightened regional tension.