U. S. and South Korea Talk Troops and Security

The U. S. Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, is in South Korea. He is there to talk about the future of U. S. troops in the country. The talks are part of the annual Security Consultative Meeting. This meeting is important. It helps the U. S. and South Korea plan their military alliance. They also discuss how to defend against North Korea. The two defense ministers will talk about many things. They will discuss how to be ready for North Korea's threats. They will also talk about working together on security in the region. This includes cyber and missile defense. The U. S. wants to make its troops more flexible. This means they could operate beyond the Korean peninsula. The goal is to address broader threats, like China's actions in the South China Sea and around Taiwan. South Korea is not keen on changing the role of U. S. troops. But it has been building its own defense capabilities. The country aims to take command of combined forces in wartime. South Korea is also planning a big increase in its defense budget. This is partly to meet U. S. demands for allies to pay more for U. S. military presence. Hegseth is expected to visit the DMZ. This is the border between South and North Korea. North Korea has been advancing its missile and military capabilities. It has ignored calls for dialogue from both the U. S. and South Korea.