{
  "id": 17165732,
  "title": "Defense minister says Hegseth dismissed talk of alliance strains as 'fake news'",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/30/defense-minister-says-hegseth-dismissed-talk-of-alliance-strains-as",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-30T03:07:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/defense/20261030/defense-minister-says-hegseth-dismissed-talk-of-alliance-strains-as-fake-news"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul stated on Friday that U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth had dismissed recent rumors about tensions in the Korea-U.S. alliance as \"fake news\" during their meeting earlier in the week. When questioned about any disagreements between the two sides, Kang affirmed that there were none, agreeing with Hegseth's assessment. Kang reiterated his belief that such talk could not weaken the strength of the Korea-U.S. alliance and urged people not to give it credence. The two leaders met for the first time on Wednesday in Cebu, Philippines, during the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus), which lasted approximately 40 minutes, exceeding the 15-minute initial schedule. These discussions came amidst worries about the alliance's condition, including the postponement of the annual Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) and differing opinions on the timeline for transferring wartime operations.",
  "summary": "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…",
  "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."
}