The top national security aide to South Korean President Park Geun-hye arrived in Washington Wednesday for consultations on North Korea and Seoul-Washington alliance issues.
It is the first time Kim Jang-soo, chief of Cheong Wa Dae's national security office, has traveled to the U.S. since taking office in February.
Kim is scheduled to meet White House National Security Adviser Susan Rice and other officials during his four-day stay here.
Media attention is being paid especially to the level of consultations on Seoul's request to push back the agreed-upon date for the acceptance of operational control (OPCON) of its military forces in the event of war.
It has become a main alliance issue as the Obama administration is apparently reluctant to reschedule the transfer of OPCON, currently set for December 2015.
South Korean military officials argue Seoul needs more time to prepare for a leading role in conducting a war against North Korea, which has enhanced nuclear and missile capabilities.
The defense ministers of the allies talked about the matter in their annual Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) in Seoul in early October. They agreed to make a final decision in the first half of next year.
"The (OPCON) issue will be addressed (in my consultations with the U.S. side). Since there is an agreement made at the SCM, there could be some discussions to facilitate it," Kim told reporters.
On regional missile defense, the former South Korean defense minister denied media speculation that his country's missile defense systems will be integrated into those of the U.S. military.
"There is a disparity between the Korean Air and Missile Defense (KAMD) and the U.S. missile defense systems," Kim said.
But he admitted the importance of interoperability between the two networks to reduce costs and raise effectiveness in countering North Korea's missile threats.
He was ambiguous when asked about the possibility of South Korea buying Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) systems.
"I understand that it is not being considered yet but we have to see (what will happen)," Kim said.
Yonhap News Agency earlier learned that the South Korean military formally asked the Pentagon to provide detailed information on THAAD, such as prices and capabilities. Many expect South Korea to mull over the purchase of THAAD after upgrading its PAC-II units to PAC-III as part of efforts to set up a multi-layer missile defense program.
Regarding North Korea, meanwhile, Kim and Rice are expected to reaffirm that the communist nation should first show its seriousness on dialogue before the resumption of any talks. (Yonhap)
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