US official praises Seoul as US eyes less military support‘MODEL ALLY’: Elbridge Colby commended South Korea for committing to meet the global standard of spending 3.5 percent of its GDP on defenseBloombergA top Pentagon official yesterday praised South Korea as a model ally ready to take greater responsibility for its own security after a new US defense strategy signaled a reduction in US military support to deter North Korea from aggression. Protesters wearing masks of US President Donald Trump, left, and US Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby, right, shout slogans near the presidential Blue House in Seoul yesterday. South Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun emphasized the need for continued close communication and cooperation with the US during an earlier meeting with Colby, his ministry said. “South Korea is capable of taking primary responsibility for deterring North Korea with critical but more limited US support,” the document said. The Pentagon is expected to release an assessment soon of where and how the US stations its military forces around the world, known as the Global Posture Review.
