They are expected to discuss Seoul's proposal for another delay in Washington's planned transition of wartime operational control (OPCON) to Seoul, a ministry official said. The OPCON transfer is slated for Dec. 1, 2015.
South Korea handed over OPCON to the U.S.-led U.N. troops during the 1950-53 Korean War. It regained peacetime OPCON in 1994.
The proposal came after North Korea's third nuclear test in February and its war threats against South Korea and the United States.
Deputy Minister of Defense Lim Kwan-bin will represent South Korea at the two-day meeting, while Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asia David Helvey will lead the U.S. delegation.
"(Both sides) have yet to set details of the agenda. But the forthcoming defense meeting will address all pending issues between the two countries," Army Col. Wi Yong-seop said in a briefing. He did not elaborate.
The defense ministry said South Korean officials first proposed the postponement of OPCON transfer to U.S. Forces Korea chief Gen. James Thurman in May. Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin mentioned it when he first met U.S. defense chief Chuck Hagel on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on June 1, Wi said.
In a policy consultation meeting with officials of the ruling Saenuri Party in Seoul Thursday, Minister Kim expressed hope that both countries will make a conclusion on the issue in a Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) slated for October in Seoul, according to a ruling party official who attended the meeting.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com