South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back told lawmakers on Monday that U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) is “solely intended to reinforce deterrence against North Korea,” drawing a clear distinction between Seoul’s defense priorities and Washington’s broader effort to counter China.

He also assessed that Russia has provided submarine technology to the DPRK in return for its military support for the invasion of Ukraine, while assessing that the South needs to ramp up investments in drone warfare to counter rapid North Korean developments in that area.

Ahn made the remarks during a parliamentary auditof the defense ministry before the National Assembly’s