Seoul's national security chief outlines humanitarian aid plan to U.S.

South Korea's presidential national security adviser outlined Seoul's plan to contribute humanitarian assistance to the U.S.-led fight against the Islamic State militant group when he met with his U.S. counterpart Monday, his office said.

Kim Kwan-jin, chief of the national security office, offered the explanation when U.S. National Security Adviser Susan Rice stressed the need for South Korea and other allies to provide active support for efforts to defeat IS and tackle the Ebola virus outbreak, the office said.

Kim's visit came as Washington has been trying to drum up international support for its fight against the extremist group. The U.S. has classified South Korea as a humanitarian contributor, but speculation has grown that Washington could ask for a contribution beyond that.

Kim "explained efforts our government is making with regard to the ISIL issue, including provision of humanitarian assistance, and mentioned that (Seoul) will consult closely with the U.S. side in coping with similar global issues," the office said in a release.

Kim arrived in Washington on Sunday for a three-day visit. It was his first overseas trip since assuming office as South Korea's top security official in June after serving as defense minister for nearly four years.

The visit also came as North Korea has been stepping up diplomacy with the outside world in an attempt to reduce its isolation, while at the same time using three American citizens detained in the country as leverage to reopen dialogue with the U.S.

Rice briefed Kim on the results of discussions she had with Chinese officials during a recent visit to Beijing. They also agreed the two countries need close policy cooperation and a solid combined defense posture to cope with growing threats from North Korea, the office said.

The sides also agreed to continue cooperation with China to denuclearize the North, it said.

Kim also briefed Rice on President Park Geun-hye's vision for unification with North Korea, stressing that Korean unification is in the interests of neighboring nations. Rice expressed active support for Seoul's position, the office said.

Kim and Rice had also been expected to discuss delaying the planned transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) of South Korean troops from Washington to Seoul, but the office made no mention of whether the issue was on the table.

The two countries have been in talks to determine how long to delay the transfer, currently set for December 2015. Sources said that talks are going in a direction that makes the transfer conditional on Seoul's defense capabilities without specifying a date.

South Korea handed over control of its forces to the U.S. during the 1950-53 Korean War to defend against invading troops from North Korea. Peacetime control of its forces was returned in 1994, and South Korea is currently scheduled to get back operational control in the event of war in December 2015.

But last year, Seoul asked for a delay in the OPCON transfer after North Korea conducted its third nuclear test, saying the security situation on the peninsula was markedly different from when the transfer was agreed upon a few years ago.

The two countries are basically in agreement on putting off the transfer. South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo and U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel are expected to determine by how long it should be pushed back when they meet in Washington in October. (Yonhap)