Top Pentagon official Elbridge Colby in talks to visit ‘model ally’ South Korea later this month

Elbridge Colby, the under secretary of defense for policy and a key architect of the Trump administration’s defense and alliance policy, speaks during an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo in Washington on April 23, 2024. [JOONGANG ILBO]

 
U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby, a key architect of the Trump administration’s defense and alliance policy, is in talks to visit South Korea later this month, according to multiple diplomatic sources familiar with the matter.
 
Colby is reportedly planning to visit both Japan and South Korea back-to-back. The move is being interpreted as a bid to strengthen coordination with key Asian allies at a time when U.S.-China rivalry and tensions between China and Japan are overlapping.
 
 
In Korea, Colby is expected to discuss major bilateral issues, including defense spending and the transition of wartime operational control, or Opcon. The Joint Fact Sheet issued by Seoul and Washington on Nov. 14 last year included South Korea’s plan to raise defense spending to 3.5 percent of its GDP. Colby had praised South Korea as a “model ally” as a result.
 
Given his central role in shaping the Trump administration’s alliance modernization policy, Colby is also likely to address the evolving role of U.S. Forces Korea in countering China.
 

U.S. Forces Korea’s Camp Humphreys, based in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi, seen on Aug. 26, 2025 [YONHAP]

 
U.S. officials have increasingly linked Seoul’s defense upgrades to regional deterrence, particularly regarding submarine capabilities and North Korea. Kevin Kim, then chargé d’affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, said in November that the recent incidents in the Yellow Sea underscore the need for South Korea to increase defense spending and introduce new capabilities, such as nuclear submarines. U.S. Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Daryl Caudle echoed that sentiment in the same month.
 
Colby has also taken a clear stance on Taiwan. In a post on X dated Dec. 8, he said the U.S. should maintain military superiority to deter conflict in the Taiwan Strait, and reiterated support for Washington’s longstanding declaratory policy of opposing unilateral changes to the status quo.
 
A source familiar with the matter said South Korean and U.S. officials are still coordinating the agenda for the upcoming visit.
 
Observers say the planned visits to Japan and South Korea reflect Washington’s desire to reinforce ties with key allies in Asia, especially as U.S.-China tensions escalate over issues like Venezuela and the Taiwan Strait. Prolonged frictions between China and Japan have also factored into the timing of the visit.
 

Kevin Kim, then charge d’affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, speaks with People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok at the National Assembly in western Seoul on Dec. 12, 2025. [YONHAP]

 
Meanwhile, Kevin Kim, who had been serving as the chargé d’affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, has been tapped to become the senior adviser to Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker. Kim is expected to depart after just over 70 days in the role, having taken office on Oct. 24, 2025.
 
Kim was a key working-level figure in U.S. diplomacy on North Korea during the first Trump administration, particularly under then-Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun from 2018 to 2020. Hooker was also part of the first Trump-era North Korea negotiating team. Their appointments have fueled speculation among experts that Washington may seek to reengage with Pyongyang following a potential U.S.-China summit in April.
 
Kim’s departure leaves the chargé d’affaires post temporarily vacant, to be filled by Deputy Chief of Mission James Heller, who joined the embassy in July last year.
 
“The U.S. Embassy in Seoul has officially informed us that Mr. Kim is returning to Washington,” a Foreign Ministry official said. “We expect Mr. Heller, as acting ambassador, to continue close communication with us for the time being.”
 
A government source said, “Under the Trump administration, Joseph Yun and then Kevin Kim served in acting capacities, but now a full ambassador is expected to be appointed.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY SHIM SEOK-YONG [[email protected]]