Pentagon officially announces Colby's trip to S. Korea, Japan following NDS release

▲ U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby speaks during an event celebrating the Korean National Day and Armed Forces Day in Washington on Nov. 14, 2025. (Yonhap)

Pentagon official-Korea visit

Pentagon officially announces Colby's trip to S. Korea, Japan following NDS release

By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 (Yonhap) -- The Pentagon officially announced Saturday that Under Secretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby will embark on a trip to South Korea and Japan this weekend in an effort to advance U.S. President Donald Trump's agenda for "peace through strength."

Colby's trip to the core Asian allies follows the Pentagon's release on Friday of the new National Defense Strategy (NDS), which signals a potential adjustment to U.S. force posture on the Korean Peninsula and stresses allies' "burden sharing" as the Trump administration seeks to focus on deterring Chinese threats.

"This visit underscores the critical importance of the Indo-Pacific region and our alliances with the Republic of Korea and Japan," the Pentagon said in a press release, referring to South Korea by its official name.

Earlier, informed sources in Seoul said that Colby is expected to make a three-day visit to South Korea through Tuesday.

In Seoul, Colby is expected to meet senior Korean defense and security officials for talks on a range of alliance issues, such as Seoul's push to build nuclear-powered submarines and retake wartime operational control from the United States, as well as its commitment to increasing defense spending.

He could also use his trip to brief officials in Seoul and Tokyo on the NDS.

In the latest NDS, the Pentagon said that South Korea is capable of taking "primary" responsibility to deter the North with "critical, but more limited" U.S. support -- a shift that it says is in line with America's interest in "updating" U.S. force posture on the Korean Peninsula.

In May, the Pentagon said that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth tasked Colby to draw up a new NDS to prioritize raising "burden-sharing" with allies and deterring China threats in the Indo-Pacific.

The NDS outlines the Pentagon's defense objectives and policy direction in line with the National Security Strategy released by the White House in December.

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