{
  "id": 17158606,
  "title": "Hegseth calls talk of shaky Korea-US alliance 'fake news:' Seoul's defense minister",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/30/hegseth-calls-talk-of-shaky-korea-us-alliance-fake-news-seouls-17158606",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-30T01:57:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/defense/20261030/hegseth-calls-talk-of-shaky-korea-us-alliance-fake-news-seouls-defense-minister"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth dismissed reports of a potential strain in the Korea-U.S. alliance as \"fake news\" after meeting with South Korean Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul, according to Korean media reports. Kang, after his three-day trip to the Philippines, reiterated that such claims cannot shake the \"rock-solid foundation\" of the alliance. The two leaders held a 40-minute meeting on the sidelines of a regional defense ministers meeting in Cebu, where Kang addressed key bilateral issues, including the transition of wartime operational control (OPCON) from Washington to Seoul.",
  "summary": "U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth brushed off concerns over a perceived growing rift in the Korea-U.S. alliance as \"fake news,\" Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul said Friday after a bilateral meeting with his U.S. counterpart earlier this week. Kang said the secretary made the comment when the minister brought up Korean media reports citing alliance friction over key bilateral issues, including…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yonhap News",
        "title": "Hegseth calls talk of shaky S. Korea-U.S. alliance 'fake news:' Seoul's defense minister",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/30/hegseth-calls-talk-of-shaky-s-korea-u-s-alliance-fake-news-seouls",
        "published": "2026-10-30T00:56:38.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}