US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel Is In South Korea For Security And Military Talks

DEMILITARIZED ZONE

U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, right, and South Korean Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin, second from right, stand at the Ouellette Observation Post at the Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Korea, Sept. 30, 2013. DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo

Chuck Hagel In South Korea For Military Talks -- BBC

US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel is in South Korea for talks, where the eventual transfer of military control to Seoul is expected to be a key issue.

Under the current alliance, the US has operational control over South Korean troops in the event of war.

Seoul was due to resume control in 2015, but appears to want an extension, given ongoing tensions with the North.

The two Koreas remain technically at war as the 1950-53 conflict ended in an armistice and not a peace treaty.

Mr Hagel, who is visiting South Korea for the first time since becoming defence secretary, said Seoul's military had become "much more sophisticated, much more capable".

"We're constantly re-evaluating each of our roles," he told reporters on Sunday during his flight to Seoul.

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Dempsey, Hagel arrive in South Korea as part of military pivot to Asia -- Washington Times