(MENAFN- QNA) South Korea's Vice Defense Minister Baek Seung-joo plans to visit the United States this week to discuss issues of mutual concern and ways to coordinate North Korean policy between the allies, the defense ministry said Wednesday.
South Korea's Vice Defense Minister Baek Seung-joo will head to the U.S. on Wednesday for a two-day visit during which he is to meet with Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work and other key figures in the military circle "for in-depth talks on the allies' diverse pending issues and future tasks," according to the Seoul ministry.
On the table is follow-up actions after a bilateral agreement to delay the handover of the wartime operational control (OPCON) of the South Korean troops from Washington to Seoul, according to South Korea's (Yonhap) News Agency.
Last month, the two sides agreed to delay the OPCON transfer to Seoul until the South builds capabilities strong enough to counter nuclear and missile threats from North Korea. Seoul and Washington set the time frame for the transfer in the mid-2020s.
Baek will then fly to Canada to attend the Halifax International Security Forum to share his views on diverse security issues with some 300 participants from 60 countries.
On the sidelines of the three-day event set to kick off Friday, he is also scheduled to hold bilateral talks with his counterparts from major participating countries, including the U.S., and Canada, according to the ministry.
As an independent, non-profit, non-partisan organization based in Washington, the Halifax International Security Forum has hosted the annual meeting since 2009.
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