President Lee Jae Myung said that completing the transfer of wartime operational control from the United States during his term would provide an important opportunity to strengthen the bilateral alliance.

According to presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung, Lee made the remarks during his meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the presidential office in Yongsan.

Lee emphasized that if South Korea enhances its military capabilities and assumes a leading role in defending the Korean Peninsula, it would help ease the United States’ defense burden in the Indo-Pacific region.

He also expressed appreciation to U.S. President Donald Trump for supporting South Korea’s plan to build nuclear-powered submarines, noting that the acquisition of such vessels would significantly bolster South Korea’s defense capabilities and further deepen the alliance.

Hegseth reportedly commended South Korea’s efforts to strengthen its defense capabilities through higher defense spending and the acquisition of advanced conventional assets and nuclear-powered submarines, expressing full support for those initiatives.

The Pentagon chief also expressed hopes for closer cooperation in shipbuilding with South Korea, noting its world-class capabilities and adding that joint naval production would significantly strengthen the defense capabilities of both nations.