General Dempsey To Be In Seoul Next Week for Talks

I guess we will see if anything significant comes out these talks next week:

The top U.S. military officer will visit South Korea next week for talks with his counterpart on boosting the bilateral alliance, Seoul officials said Friday, amid keen attention on whether the two will discuss the possible deployment of an advanced U.S. missile-defense system here.

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.

Dempsey’s trip here is considered a return visit before he leaves office at the end of September, the JCS said, noting Choi traveled to the U.S. in July last year, it added.

“The JCS chairmen of South Korea and the U.S. will boost their relationship, reaffirm their strong will for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and discuss ways on how to develop the alliance in the future,” the JCS said in a statement.

“The chairmen are expected to deal with a wide range of pending issues, including how to deal with North Korea’s evolving nuclear and missile threats and their preparedness for the transfer of the wartime operational control of South Korean troops,” a JCS officer said.  [Yonhap]

You can read the rest at the link.