S. Korea, US to hold key defense talks in Busan this week

The Korea-US Integrated Defense Dialogue, a high-level bilateral defense consultative body known as KIDD, will convene in Busan this week, with attention focused on whether the two sides will produce concrete plans for South Korea's potential contribution to the Strait of Hormuz.

The Ministry of National Defense said Monday that the 29th KIDD meeting will be held in South Korea from Wednesday through Friday. "At this meeting, South Korea and the United States plan to discuss the full range of alliance security issues, including the transfer of wartime operational control, combined defense posture and shipbuilding cooperation," the ministry said.

Kim Hong-cheol, director general for defense policy at the Ministry of National Defense, and George LeMoore, US Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs, will serve as chief representatives of their respective sides, with senior defense and diplomatic officials from both countries also attending.

KIDD was established in 2011 to facilitate timely and effective security consultations between the two allies and has been held once or twice a year, alternating between the two countries. The 28th session took place in Washington in May.

The US side is expected to lay out its position on deploying South Korean forces to the Strait of Hormuz during the talks.

Ahead of the meeting, the South Korean government last week dispatched a field survey team to the UAE to begin a concrete review of the matter. Washington is said to want Seoul to complete the deployment before November's midterm elections, but Seoul has maintained a cautious stance, saying no decision has been made.

The transfer of wartime operational control is also expected to be a key topic for preliminary coordination. A full operational capability verification is scheduled for discussion at the Security Consultative Meeting in November, after which both governments plan to recommend a target year — referred to as "Year X" — to their respective presidents by year's end.

This marks the first time a KIDD meeting has been held outside Seoul or Washington. The two sides are said to have chosen Busan as the venue to underscore their commitment to shipbuilding cooperation.

US participants are expected to visit South Korean shipyards during their stay. HD Hyundai Heavy in Ulsan and Hanwha Ocean in Geoje — the two dominant players in South Korea's shipbuilding industry — are located near the meeting venue.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio are also expected to hold bilateral talks ahead of the UN General Assembly. Observers note that the two ministers are likely to add momentum around the same time, given the strong possibility that South Korea and the United States will soon announce a first-round agreement on a $350 billion South Korean investment package in the US.