Seoul: South Korea's National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac on Thursday expressed concerns regarding NATO's recent decision to increase defense spending, highlighting its implications for South Korea amidst ongoing US demands for Seoul to boost its defense budget.

According to Anadolu Agency, Wi Sung-lac made these remarks following his return from the NATO summit held in The Hague. Wi mentioned that South Korea is now under pressure from Washington to align with the global trend of increased defense spending, as reported by Yonhap News Agency. He emphasized that the NATO agreement to raise defense budgets also has significant implications for South Korea.

The 32 NATO member states have committed to dedicating 5% of their GDP annually by 2035. This includes a minimum of 3.5% for core defense expenditures and up to 1.5% for areas such as cybersecurity, critical infrastructure, and industrial capacity-building.

Recently, South Korea's Defense Ministry pointed out that the country's defense spending as a percentage of GDP is relatively high compared to other major US allies. For the current year, South Korea's defense budget stands at 61.2 trillion won ($44.6 billion), which represents 2.3% of its GDP, marking a 3.1% increase from the previous year.

South Korea is host to approximately 28,500 US soldiers, a military presence that has been in place since the end of the Korean War from 1950 to 1953.