SEOUL, Oct. 27 (UPI) -- The United States and South Korea have an "extraordinarily healthy alliance" Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Thursday.
Dempsey, who recently took over as the joint chiefs chairman, met with his South Korean counterpart, Gen. Jung Seung-jo, in Seoul to discuss threats from North Korea, Yonhap News agency reported quoting sources.
The two sides convened for their 35th Military Committee Meeting at a time when the situation on the Korean Peninsula remains tense because of provocations from the nuclear-armed Communist North.
Dempsey reaffirmed his government's "unwavering" commitment to South Korea, Yonhap said.
"I can tell you that [Jung and I] both agreed that this is a critical time in our friendship and alliance," Dempsey said. "We're moving ahead toward transition. We've got many issues. But the relationships we've built and settings like this are a great opportunity to help us continue to strengthen what is already an extraordinarily healthy alliance."
The talks would include issues such as the transfer of wartime operational control of South Korean forces from Washington to Seoul in 2015, Yonhap said.
The United States also has no plans to reduce its military presence in the Asia-Pacific region. The United States has about 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea.
Dempsey is accompanying U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on the Asian trip. Panetta was scheduled to meet with South Korean Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin Friday.
