'Flexibility needed' in US tie-up

The United States will look at “flexibility” for US troops stationed in South Korea to operate against regional threats, but the core of the alliance with Seoul will remain focused on deterring North Korea, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said yesterday.

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US Defence Secretary Pete Hegeth shakes hands with South Korea's Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back at the DMZ in Paju, South Korea, on Monday.

(REUTERS)

He spoke alongside his South Korean counterpart during a visit to South Korea that earlier included a trip to the Demilitarised Zone on the border with North Korea.

When asked whether the 28,500 US troops stationed in South Korea might be used in any conflicts beyond the peninsula, including with China, Mr Hegseth told a briefing that protecting against nuclear-armed North Korea is the goal of the alliance.

“But there’s no doubt that flexibility for regional contingency is something we would take a look at,” he said.