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| 2026-05-31 18:17:01
(News Focus) S Korea-defense forum
(News Focus) S. Korea seeks to highlight efforts for 'self-reliant' defense at key security forum
By Kim Seung-yeon
SINGAPORE, May 31 (Yonhap) -- At a key defense forum in Singapore, Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back has highlighted South Korea's efforts to strengthen its "self-reliant" defense capabilities amid growing North Korean threats and a volatile security environment shaped in part by the Middle East tensions.
Attending the three-day Asia Security Summit, also known as the Shangri-La Dialogue, Ahn also stressed that these efforts are being pursued alongside the country's strong commitment to strengthening its alliance with the United States.
In his speech during a plenary session Saturday, Ahn cited the North's military buildup and its closer alignment with Russia as a "key variable" in global security, emphasizing that the security on the Korean Peninsula is increasingly linked to the security in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.
"The Republic of Korea will continue its efforts to strengthen self-reliant defense capabilities in tandem with enhancing the alliance (with the United States)," Ahn said in his speech, calling South Korea by its official name.
Ahn introduced South Korea's efforts to build a "smart military" by boosting its systems based on artificial intelligence (AI) and drone and anti-drone defense systems.
Seoul's efforts appeared to be reinforced by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who singled out South Korea and several other allies as countries committing to greater burden sharing by increasing their defense spending.
Hegseth praised President Lee Jae Myung's government for the pragmatism and its "hard-nosed" decision that he said he would like to see other allies and partners follow.
"President Lee's decision ... to assume greater responsibility for its conventional defense reflects simply a clear-eyed understanding of the threat environment," the secretary said in his keynote speech.
The transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) from the U.S. to South Korea -- a key alliance issue for Seoul -- was also brought up during the forum, with both sides, outwardly at least, reaffirming efforts toward the transition.
During the main session, Hegseth called for "finding a balance" in the OPCON transfer in ways that the roles the U.S. military has played for decades are "honored," a remark that could be seen as reflecting concerns over a gap between the allies' views on the timeline of the transition.
Asked by reporters on Hegseth's remarks, Ahn said he understood them as emphasizing the need for Seoul to take greater responsibility after the OPCON transfer, as well as reflecting Washington's positive assessment of South Korea's readiness and capabilities.
"My understanding is that (the secretary) meant to call for working together to align our efforts and energy (to move it forward)," Ahn said.
At his one-on-one meeting with Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi on Saturday, Ahn unveiled that the two countries will resume joint naval rescue and search (SAREX) drills June 7, marking the resumption of the exercise following a nine-year hiatus.
The biennial SAREX drills were suspended in 2018 following a flareup of fresh tensions after a Japanese patrol aircraft made a low-altitude flyby over a South Korean warship, as it accused the vessel of locking its fire-control radar onto the plane, a claim denied by Seoul.
Ahn hailed the restart of the drills as a "symbolic" move reflecting improving bilateral relations.
In a press availability Sunday, Ahn also disclosed that he discussed with the Japanese side a Tokyo-proposed bilateral military logistics support pact, known as the acquisition and cross-servicing agreement (ACSA).
It marked the first time a Seoul official acknowledged that an ACSA was among the agenda items discussed between the defense authorities of the two countries.
Tokyo has raised the issue in past talks, but Seoul had remained noncommittal on whether it was part of the discussions.
The forum also provided a stage for the defense chiefs of South Korea, the U.S. and Japan to reaffirm their shared commitment to advancing their trilateral partnership. Ahn, Hegseth and Koizumi had a brief gathering on the forum's sidelines.
On Sunday, the minister met with U.S. senators and representatives attending the forum, during which Ahn sought bipartisan support of U.S. Congress for South Korea's nuclear-powered submarine program and the OPCON transfer.
Seoul and Washington are set to launch their bilateral negotiations on the nuclear-powered submarine program and nuclear energy cooperation early this week, with a U.S. delegation led by Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker scheduled to visit Seoul.
On the margins of the forum, Ahn held back-to-back bilateral talks with counterparts of key partner nations, including Singapore, Australia, the Philippines, Norway, the Netherlands and Thailand.
He discussed with them efforts to advance cooperation in defense and the defense industry in areas from maritime security and arms sales to military AI.
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