SEOUL, May 31 (UPI) -- South Korea's defense minister plans to meet his U.S. counterpart this week to discuss their security alliance, Seoul officials said Monday.
Defense Minister Cho Young-kil and U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld are scheduled to hold private talks on the sidelines of an annual Asia-Pacific security meeting called the Shangri-La Dialogue, which opens Friday in Singapore, said an official at the Defense Ministry.
"The two defense chiefs would discuss a range of pending issues," the official said. "They will also discuss a U.S. plan to slash American troops stationed in South Korea," he said.
The meeting would come ahead of talks next week between the United States and South Korea on the U.S. proposal to reduce its troops in South Korea.
Washington has proposed to pull about 12,000 troops, or one-third of its 37,000-strong military presence, out of South Korea, which has touched off concerns that the move may weaken their combined deterrent against North Korea's 1.1-million-member military.
