SEOUL: US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth will visit the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas and also meet with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung during his visit to the Asian country next week, a senior US defence official said Tuesday.
Hegseth is set to kick off a two-day visit to South Korea next Monday in his first trip to the Asian country since taking office early this year. Korea is the last leg of his Asia swing that includes stops in Japan, Malaysia and Vietnam.
Upon arrival in Korea, the secretary, along with Seoul's Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back, plans to visit the Joint Security Area (JSA) inside the DMZ and have a chance to meet Korean and American troops stationed at the DMZ, the official said during a briefing to the press traveling with Hegseth, Yonhap News Agency reported.