Sources said Thursday that South Korea's Defense Minister Cho Young-kil will meet with his U.S. counterpart Donald Rumsfeld here Friday to discuss the North Korean nuclear issue and the possible relocation of U.S. troops deployed on the Korean Peninsula.

The defense ministers' meeting, the first since President Roh Moo-hyun took office Feb. 25, is expected to touch on follow-up measures to May's agreement between Roh and U.S. President George W. Bush on mutual cooperation in the defense sector.

Also to be discussed are cooperation between the two countries in Iraqi rehabilitation projects, the relocation of the U.S. military compound in Yongsan, central Seoul, and the repositioning of the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division.