ROK, US to hold defense talks

SEOUL - The Republic of Korea and the United States are set to hold the second round of defense talks aimed at policy coordination toward the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the Defense Ministry said here Tuesday.

The allies are also expected to assess threats posed by the DPRK's nuclear program and weapons of mass destruction and their joint deterrence strategies at the Korea-US Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD), which opens in Seoul Wednesday, according to the ministry.

The two-day talks will also involve discussions on the planned transfer of wartime operational control from Washington to Seoul and bilateral cooperation on cyber security challenges and space development.

The KIDD serves as a high-level dialogue channel aligning and overseeing various defense talks between the allies, including the Security Policy Initiative (SPI) and the Extended Deterrence Policy Committee (EDPC).

The outcome of the talks will be announced at the 44th Security Consultative Meeting in October.