Pete Hegseth, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, arrived at Panmunjom by U.S. military helicopter on November 3, 2025, to jointly inspect the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and the Joint Security Area (JSA) with South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back.

This visit is seen as a symbolic gesture to set the tone for the annual South Korea-U.S. Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) scheduled for the following day: in the context of North Korea's rapid advancement in nuclear and missile capabilities and the intensifying U.S.-China competition, both sides will engage in substantive discussions on "adjusting the role of U.S. forces in South Korea."

Core Issues

1. Strategic Flexibility of U.S. Forces in South Korea

Washington hopes to grant the approximately 28,500 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea broader regional mission authorizations, allowing them not only to respond to emergencies on the Korean Peninsula but also to quickly intervene in other hotspots such as the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea. Seoul has long been concerned that this move could weaken local defense, and therefore requires any changes to maintain the deterrence on the peninsula unchanged, and decisions must be made through consultation by the Republic of Korea-U.S. Combined Command.

2. Transfer of Operational Control (OPCON)

Seoul is striving to complete the "conditional transfer of wartime operational control" by 2030. This meeting will review the future joint command structure led by the South Korean military with U.S. support, and confirm that South Korea will significantly increase its defense budget in 2026 to meet the conditions.

3. South Korean Nuclear Submarine Program

President Yoon Suk-yeol proposed to Trump in October to obtain U.S. nuclear propulsion technology. Trump has agreed in principle to build an attack nuclear submarine for South Korea at the Hanwha Shipyard in Philadelphia. The SCM will discuss details regarding fuel supply, technology transfer, and base cooperation, which are seen as a new pillar of South Korean-U.S. military-industrial cooperation.

4. Extended Deterrence against North Korea and Cyber/Missile Defense

Both sides plan to update the "Vision for Alliance Space Cooperation," integrate low-orbit satellite intelligence, and expand the scale of cyber warfare exercises to counter North Korean hackers and missile threats.

Subsequent Itinerary

- November 4: Full-scale talks of the SCM, issuing a joint statement, which is expected to include three key points: "adjustment of U.S. military regional missions," "nuclear submarine cooperation roadmap," and "OPCON transfer schedule."

- November 5: Hegseth will go to the Joint Chiefs of Staff headquarters in Seoul, where he will fly together with General Jin Yong-sung, Chairman of the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, in a F-16 formation, demonstrating joint air combat capability.

Hegseth is the first U.S. Secretary of Defense to step into the JSA since 2017, and the first member of the Trump administration to visit South Korea during his second term. This trip aims to send a signal to North Korea and regional allies: despite Washington's efforts to make the U.S. military "more flexible," the ROK-U.S. alliance remains the "axis" of the Indo-Pacific security architecture.

One-sentence summary: The United States hopes this is a turning point for the U.S. forces in South Korea to transition from "peninsula garrison forces" to "regional quick-reaction forces."

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1847810284424330/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.