The top US military officer will visit South Korea next week for talks with his counterpart on boosting the bilateral alliance, Seoul officials said Friday.
Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), is scheduled to arrive Thursday for a three-day stay, during which he plans to hold talks with South Korea's JCS chairman, Adm. Choi Yun-hee, and meet with Defense Minister Han Min-koo, according to Seoul's JCS.
In November, the allies agreed to delay the transition of wartime operational control of South Korean troops from Washington to Seoul until South Korea is capable enough to counter the threats, with the two sides eyeing the mid-2020s as the time frame for the transfer.
Dempsey's visit comes amid speculation that the top military officers of the allies could discuss the possible deployment of a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery on South Korean soil, Yonhap news agency reported.