Gyeongju: President Lee Jae Myung met with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday as Seoul and Washington held annual security talks. Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back and Hegseth conducted the discussions earlier in the day, with the Pentagon chief discussing efforts to aid in implementing U.S. President Donald Trump's commitment to allow South Korea to build nuclear-powered submarines in a U.S. shipyard.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the approval followed President Lee's request to Trump during their summit at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Gyeongju last Wednesday. Lee sought permission for Seoul to secure nuclear fuel for the submarine project. Trump confirmed in a social media post the following day that South Korea received approval to construct a nuclear-powered submarine at a Philadelphia shipyard operated by Hanwha Ocean.

This year's discussions between the defense leaders occurred amid ongoing concerns about modernizing the alliance. Key issues include Seoul's ambition to regain wartime operational control from the United States, alongside Washington's calls for allies to increase their defense contributions.