S. Korean Army chief to visit U.S. for talks with American counterpart

SEOUL, Jan. 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's Army Chief of Staff Gen. Park Jeong-hwan will depart for the United States later this week for talks with his U.S. counterpart and other officials on bilateral defense cooperation, his office said Friday.

His nine-day trip that runs through Jan. 29 has been arranged under a program inviting top commanders of U.S. allies, according to the Army.

During the trip, Park plans to meet with senior U.S. military officials, including Army Chief of Staff Gen. James C. McConville, for talks on security coordination and other issues.

"The purpose of this visit is to solidify the South Korea-U.S. alliance, the linchpin of our security, and expand and deepen the scope of exchange and cooperation between the two countries' Armies," the armed service said in a statement.

Park also plans to visit key U.S. Army units, including the Futures Command and the Training and Doctrine Command.

At the units, Park is expected to hold talks on developing future-oriented ties between the two countries' armies, such as sharing advanced science technologies and combat development systems, as well as expanding combined exercises and people-to-people exchanges, according to the South Korean Army.

yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr
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