South Korea, US to Hold High-Level Defence Talks in Busan

South Korea, US to hold high-level defence talks amid Hormuz deployment consideration

Seoul, Sep 14

The biannual Korea-US Integrated Defence Dialogue (KIDD) will be held in the southeastern port city of Busan from Wednesday through Friday, according to the ministry.

Kim Hong-cheol, deputy defence minister for policy, and George Lemeur, US deputy assistant secretary of war for East Asia, will lead the talks, along with other key defence and foreign affairs officials.

"The meeting is expected to discuss a wide range of pending security issues, including (Seoul's) retaking of wartime operational control (OPCON), joint defence posture and cooperation in shipbuilding," the ministry said.

The allies did not specify, but they are widely expected to discuss the possibility of Seoul's military deployment to the Strait of Hormuz amid Washington's pressure on South Korea to join efforts to secure the crucial waterway, reports Yonhap news agency.

South Korea sent a team tasked with assessing the security situation near the Strait of Hormuz to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) last week.

The move raised speculation that South Korea is seriously considering military deployment to the strait, but the government has stressed that nothing has been decided on the issue. Iran has publicly warned against any potential military dispatch to the area, warning such a move would lead to "serious consequences."

The issue of Seoul's push to regain OPCON from Washington will be discussed at this week's meeting. South Korea seeks to regain wartime command before President Lee Jae Myung's five-year term ends in 2030 or even as early as next year.

South Korea wants to complete the second phase of verifying the combined forces' "full operational capability" and announce the target year of the OPCON transfer at the upcoming defence chiefs' meeting this fall.

Launched in 2011, KIDD is a comprehensive senior-level defence meeting between the allies.

This week's meeting marks the second such gathering this year, after the last session took place in Washington in May.

The KIDD meeting will take place for the first time outside of Seoul or Washington. The defence ministry said the selection of Busan was meant to show the allies' resolve to expand shipbuilding cooperation.

— IANS