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Pentagon asks Korea, other Asian allies to pony up 5% of GDP on defense

Published: 20 Jun. 2025, 14:07

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivers his speech during 22nd Shangri-La Dialogue summit in Singapore, May 31. [AP/YONHAP]

The U.S. Department of Defense has proposed a new benchmark for Asian allies, including Korea, to spend around 5 percent of their GDP on defense.

The United States is currently pushing NATO member states to allocate 5 percent of GDP to defense spending. Washington now seeks to apply the same standard to its Asian allies, such as Korea and Japan.

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said, “Our European allies are now setting the global standard for our alliances, especially in Asia, which is 5 percent of GDP spending on defense," in response to a question from Yonhap News Agency, reported Thursday.

Parnell referenced remarks made by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Wednesday and the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore earlier this month.

Parnell was responding to a question about the implications of Hegseth’s comments for Korea, according to Yonhap. The Pentagon spokesperson noted that Hegseth had introduced a new global defense spending benchmark for allies, including those in Asia.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on June 18. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

A U.S. Defense Department official also told Yonhap Wednesday that Korea is among the Asian allies the United States expects to boost their defense budgets under the new guidelines.

As a result, the Trump administration is likely to press Korea to raise its defense spending to 5 percent of GDP. In 2024, Korea spent approximately 66 trillion won ($48.27 billion) on defense, equivalent to about 2.8 percent of its GDP.

"Given the enormous military buildup of China, as well as North Korea's ongoing nuclear and missile developments, it is only common sense for Asia-Pacific allies to move rapidly to match Europe's pace and level of defense spending,” said Parnell.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth testifies during a Senate Committee on Appropriations subcommittee hearing in Washington on June 11. [AP/YONHAP]

He argued that the increased defense contributions align with the security interests of Indo-Pacific allies and also serve the interests of the American people by ensuring a more balanced and equitable sharing of alliance costs.

During Wednesday’s Senate hearing on the Pentagon’s fiscal year 2026 budget request, Hegseth said he hoped NATO member states would pledge to spend 5 percent of their GDP on defense at the upcoming NATO summit in The Hague.

"As the president has rightly pointed out, it's only fair that our allies and partners do their part," he said. "We cannot want their security more than they do."

In a keynote speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on May 31, Hegseth introduced the new 5-percent benchmark and said it would be illogical to expect European allies to meet that standard while Asian allies facing threats from China and North Korea spend significantly less.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY KIM JI-HYE [[email protected]]