Minister highlights S. Korea's push for 'self-reliant' defense alongside stronger US alliance

South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back on Saturday highlighted Seoul's drive to strengthen its own defense capabilities while deepening its alliance with the United States, amid evolving North Korean threats and uncertainties from Middle East tensions.

Speaking at a defense forum in Singapore, Ahn said the North's closer alignment with Russia and its growing combat experience from the war in Ukraine pose a new threat to security not only on the Korean Peninsula but also in the Indo-Pacific. ...