The Defense Ministry on Wednesday dismissed local media reports alleging the United States had requested that Seoul clarify its role and commitment in a potential military conflict in the Indo-Pacific region involving China.
In a statement sent to press in Seoul, the ministry said no such inquiry had been made, responding to an article published earlier in the day by Hankook Ilbo.
The local daily, citing multiple diplomatic and military sources, reported that Washington had recently inquired about Seoul’s position regarding support for US operations in the Indo-Pacific region, including potential military maintenance and logistics assistance.
The reports come amid growing speculation that Washington may seek broader support from its Indo-Pacific allies, including South Korea, as it sharpens its focus on countering China's military expansion.
It also suggested that the inquiry had come around the time US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth began his Asia tour in late March — his first visit to the region since taking office — which included stops in the Philippines and Japan, but not South Korea.
During his visit to the Philippines, Hegseth underscored the need for stronger regional deterrence, naming the Philippines, Japan, Australia and South Korea as key partners in efforts to prevent armed conflict and deter Chinese aggression in the region.
"Our staff and both of us are going to remain actively engaged. It reflects the strength of our ironclad alliance, particularly in the face of communist China's aggression in the region," Hegseth said during a press briefing after talks with Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro in Manila on Friday.
“Today, it’s the Philippines. Tomorrow, it’s Japan. It will be Australia and South Korea and other nations in this part of the world, where together ... we will establish the deterrence necessary to prevent war,” he added.
Despite Seoul being excluded from Hegseth’s itinerary, recent US moves to engage allies in broader roles across the Indo-Pacific have fueled debate here over whether this signals a shift away from a focus on North Korean threats — and a potential adjustment to the role of US forces stationed in Korea.
Meanwhile, the Defense Ministry reiterated that the alliance remains centered on the Korean Peninsula.
“The alliance has contributed to peace and stability in the region by deterring war on the Korean Peninsula,” the ministry said. “We will continue to develop the alliance in that direction through close cooperation with the United States.”
flylikekite@heraldcorp.com
