U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth praised South Korea's plans to raise its military spending, saying Tuesday that the Asian ally will take a larger role in defending itself from North Korean aggressions as the allies must brace for regional contingencies.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday called for tripling the government spending on projects for expanding artificial intelligence infrastructure and technology in a budget speech. Lee also called for lawmakers to approve a planned 8.