South Korean Defense Minister Chung Kyung Doo will hold talks with US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper in Washington February 24, the Republic of Korea Department of Defense said.
Jung Kyung-Doo will fly to the United States on February 23 for a six-day visit, which will be the first since Esper took office last July. Other senior defense officials will also participate in the negotiations.
“Jung Kyung Doo and Mark Esper will share assessments of the security situation on the Korean Peninsula in these talks, and will also discuss in depth various unresolved issues of the alliance, including the progress in the transfer (Seoul — ed.) Of operational command and control (OPCON),” says in a statement by the ministry.
According to the Ronhap news agency, during the negotiations, issues of conducting joint military exercises and sharing of the costs of maintaining the American contingent on the Korean Peninsula will also be discussed. The United States and South Korea continue negotiations on the division of defense spending, but still have not reached an agreement amid Washington’s demand for a sharp increase in Seoul’s share.
