Defense minister says Hegseth dismissed talk of alliance strains as 'fake news'
Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul said Friday that U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth had dismissed recent speculation about strains in the Korea-U.S. alliance as “fake news” during their meeting earlier this week. Kang made the remarks to reporters as he arrived at the defense ministry in Seoul after attending the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) in the Philippines. Asked whether…
Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul asserted on Friday that U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth had labeled recent rumors regarding tensions in the Korea-U.S. alliance as "fake news" during their recent discussion. The defense minister conveyed this information to journalists upon his return to Seoul after participating in the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) in the Philippines.
When queried about any discrepancies between the two nations, Kang stated that none existed. "Secretary Hegseth disregarded all the chatter circulating as 'fake news,'" Kang affirmed, expressing agreement with his counterpart. "I don't believe such talk can undermine the resilience of the Korea-U.S. alliance, nor should it," he added.
Kang and Hegseth convened their inaugural in-person meeting on Wednesday in Cebu, Philippines, during the ADMM-Plus gathering. The conversation spanned approximately 40 minutes, surpassing the originally allotted 15 minutes. Their dialogue unfolded amidst apprehensions about the alliance's well-being, encompassing the cancellation of the customary Security Consultative Meeting (SCM), and discrepancies on the schedule for wartime operations transition.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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