U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin meets South Korean Defense Minister Suh Wook before the 53rd Security Consultative Meeting at the Ministry of National Defense in Seoul, South Korea on December 2, 2021. (Jeon Heon-Kyun/Pool via REUTERS)
Seoul: The defense chiefs of South Korea and the United States have agreed to hold talks in Washington next week to discuss the bilateral alliance and combined defense posture against North Korea, Seoul officials said Sunday.
South Korea's Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup plans to meet his US counterpart Lloyd Austin, when Lee visits Washington, DC to attend a dedication ceremony for a Wall of Remembrance at the Korean War Veterans Memorial, slated for July 27.
The defense chiefs are expected to discuss how to strengthen their combined defense posture and extended deterrence against North Korea's growing missile and nuclear threats. The allies are also considering the resumption of combined field training during their regular military exercise set for next month.
It would be their second in-person discussion in about a month, following their meeting held on the sidelines of a security forum in Singapore.
Last week, South Korea and the US conducted their first combined air drills involving F-35A stealth fighters, amid concerns over Pyongyang's preparation for its seventh nuclear test.
