US Defense Secretary Cancels South Korea Trip After Martial Law Drama, Heads to Japan Instead

The U.S. Department of Defense announced that Secretary Lloyd Austin plans to visit Japan on Saturday following his keynote address at the Reagan National Defense Forum in California. While initial reports suggested he would also travel to South Korea, that leg of the trip has been scrapped.

Pentagon Press Secretary Pat Ryder emphasized that this trip, Austin’s 13th to the Indo-Pacific region, is part of the Pentagon’s ongoing efforts to bolster U.S. alliances and partnerships while advancing shared objectives for peace, security, and prosperity.

Earlier reports from Kyodo News indicated that Austin was coordinating back-to-back visits to Japan and South Korea for defense talks with both nations. However, South Korea was notably absent from the official travel announcement, suggesting the timing was deemed inappropriate. A U.S. government source told Reuters that while Austin is planning a visit to South Korea soon, he ultimately decided against it.

The decision appears to be influenced by recent events in South Korea, including the emergency martial law President Yoon Suk Yeol declared on Tuesday, the subsequent impeachment crisis, and the resignation of Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun, Austin’s South Korean counterpart.

In a related development, the 4th U.S.-South Korea Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) meeting and the inaugural NCG tabletop exercise, initially scheduled for December 4-5 in Washington, D.C., have been postponed indefinitely due to the ongoing situation in South Korea.

When questioned about potential changes to the posture of U.S. Forces Korea in light of the situation in South Korea, Ryder stated that there is no change in their military posture. He further noted that they contact the South Korean Ministry of National Defense at various levels. While closely monitoring the situation, they do not anticipate any significant operational, physical, or safety impacts on U.S. Forces Korea due to these developments.