South Korea, US to hold talks on defence issues

Defence ministers of South Korea and the US will hold annual talks on Monday to discuss a range of issues, including how to handle North Korea's growing nuclear and missile threats.

The 47th Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) between South Korea's Defence Minister Han Min-koo and US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter is scheduled to be held on Monday in Seoul, Yonhap news agency reported.

North Korea's nuclear and missile capacities are likely to be the main focus of the discussion, with the top defence officials expected to delve into how to deter Pyongyang's nuclear activities.

Han and Carter also plan to adopt guidelines on their "four Ds" of operations involving military actions: to detect, disrupt, destroy and defend against North Korea's ballistic missile threats.

Another major focus of the SCM is a delay in the transfer of the Washington-held wartime operational control of South Korean troops to Seoul.