S. Korea-U.S. security talks to issue joint statement

South Korea and the United States will issue a joint statement after security talks next week among foreign and defense ministers from Seoul and Washington, local media reported Friday.

The so-called "two plus two" security talks will be held next Wednesday in Seoul, where South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung- hwan, Defense Minister Kim Tae-young, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates are expected to discuss issues concerning the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) along with other regional and global issues.

The planned statement would likely mention the future of the alliance between the two countries, joint naval drills and other means to strengthen deterrence against the DPRK, according to Seoul's semi-official Yonhap News Agency.

The high-level talks come after the United Nations Security Council adopted a presidential statement on the sinking of a South Korean warship in late March, which has been blamed on Pyongyang.

Source: Xinhua