South Korea’s defense minister spoke with his U.S. counterpart for the first time since taking office on Thursday, with both sides vowing to deepen cooperation to counter North Korean threats and its military ties with Russia.

ROK defense minister Ahn Gyu-back told U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that he hopes to transform bilateral ties into a “future-oriented comprehensive strategic alliance,” according to Seoul’s readout, while Hegseth reportedly said he wants to ensure the alliance is “strategically sustainable.” 

“As the first defense minister under the Government of People’s Sovereignty, I feel a great responsibility to further develop the achievements of the