Minister of National Defense Ahn Gyu-Back (left) on Jan. 26 talks to U.S. Under Secretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby (right) at ministry headquarters in Seoul's Yongsan-gu District. (Ministry of National Defense)

By Yoon Sojung

U.S. Under Secretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby on Jan. 26 called Korea "a model ally," emphasizing shared responsibility in defending the Korean Peninsula. 

Right after the Trump administration's announcement of the National Defense Strategy, he headed to Seoul for talks with Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun and Minister of National Defense Ahn Gyu-Back. They discussed issues related to the bilateral alliance and the situation on the peninsula including the construction of nuclear-powered submarines by Seoul and the transfer of wartime operational control of their joint forces to Korea.

First, Under Secretary Colby in his talks with Minister Cho hailed Seoul's willingness to play a leading role in the defense of the peninsula by strengthening its own national defense capacity. He added that the U.S. Department of War will play an active role so that agreements reached by the leaders of both sides can be implemented with a sense of urgency.

Later in a meeting with Minister Ahn, the American official pledged continued efforts to bolster bilateral defense cooperation with Korea, "a model ally," praising Seoul's commitment to playing a leading role by raising its independent defense capability to protect the peninsula. 

At a conference hosted the same day by the Sejong Institute in Seoul, Under Secretary Colby in a speech praised Seoul as a "model ally" and urged "shared responsibility."

He said, "And in this time, President Lee's decision to increase defense spending to 3.5% to this new global standard and to assume greater responsibility for South Korea's conventional defense reflects a clear-eyed and sage understanding of how to address the security environment that we all face, and how to put our storied and historic alliance on sound footing for the long haul."

"President Trump has consistently argued that alliances are strongest when they are based on shared responsibility rather than permanent dependency," he added. "Now this is intimately and fully understood and reflected in action here in this great country of South Korea."

"And that is why my first international trip as Under Secretary of War for Policy is to the Republic of Korea."

arete@korea.kr