(MENAFN) South Korea’s Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back firmly dismissed calls to pause military exercises near the inter-Korean border, stressing that continuous training is essential despite Seoul’s efforts to lower tensions with North Korea, according to media.

“Soldiers have to basically train,” Ahn declared during his first press conference with the defense media on Tuesday. “If both sides agree to suspend such training and North Korea ceases to do so, that could be another case, but we cannot unilaterally stop.”

His statement came after Unification Minister Chung Dong-young revealed ongoing talks between his ministry and the Defense Ministry about possibly suspending border drills.

Ahn also highlighted Seoul’s ongoing campaign to regain wartime operational control (OPCON) from the United States, a priority under President Lee Jae Myung’s administration. He emphasized that discussions between the two allies remain active.

“(Seoul) is pushing for wartime OPCON transfer in a systemic, stable and proactive manner under mutually agreed upon procedures and measures, and closely discussing the issue even at this moment,” Ahn said.

South Korea currently hosts roughly 28,500 US troops. While peacetime OPCON rests with the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, operational control shifts to the US-led Combined Forces Command during wartime.

The defense minister also urged an increase in military spending in response to North Korea’s expanding weapons programs and its collaboration with Russia. He raised alarms about Moscow’s suspected transfer of technology to Pyongyang in exchange for North Korean troop deployments aiding Russia’s war effort in Ukraine.

“Since last year, about 16,000 North Korean troops are believed to have been sent to assist Moscow in three separate deployments,” Ahn noted. The latest group, consisting of military engineers, is reportedly engaged in reconstruction tasks in Russia.

“What we need to be alert about is that North Korea appears to be receiving technology from Russia, in a considerable scope,” Ahn warned, suggesting Russia might hand over “everything excluding core technology.”

He called for a defense budget hike of at least 8%, independent of US demands for allies to raise military spending to 5% of GDP.

“It is not because the US wants it, but we cannot but raise defense spending since it matters to us,” Ahn stated.

At an Armed Forces Day ceremony, President Lee committed to transforming the military into “professional, smart, elite forces” and announced an 8.2% increase in defense funding year-on-year aimed at advancing high-tech capabilities.

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