By Kim Hyo-jin
U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and Secretary of State John Kerry will visit Korea in April, according to diplomatic sources Wednesday.
The sources added that Carter plans to visit Seoul in early April as part of his first regional trip. China and Japan are also included in his schedule.
Carter, 60, the former deputy defense secretary, became the new Pentagon chief in February with strong bipartisan support.
He is expected to highlight deterrence against North Korea by strengthening joint defense capability at a meeting with his Korean counterpart Han Min-koo.
Kerry is also planning to visit Korea as part of a trip to Northeast Asia in April, said the sources. He is expected to reaffirm U.S. commitment to its allies on security issues.
Their planned visits come amid escalating regional tension over the possible deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system.
It will draw attention if the top U.S. officials deliver their views on the issue.
While the government tries to maintain strategic ambiguity, rival parties are divided over whether to deploy the advanced U.S. missile interceptor.
The ruling Saenuri Party ignited the debate amid growing concerns over the ROK-U.S. alliance in the wake of an attack last week on U.S. Ambassador to Korea Mark Lippert.
It supported the idea, saying that THAAD will help better protect the nation from North Korea's ballistic missile threats.
However, the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) opposes the deployment, worrying it would harm relations with China, Korea’s largest trading partner.
While the U.S. has urged Seoul to join its ballistic missile defense system, China is concerned that it could be used to spy on its military capabilities.
THAAD equipped with the X-Band radar provides coverage over an area of some 600 miles, enabling detection of missile launches inside China.
Amid a hot debate over the issue between rival parties, the Saenuri Party’s floor leader Yoo Seong-min said Wednesday that he will collect opinions on the issue before a National Assembly session in April.