The defense chiefs of South Korea and the United States will discuss pending defense issues during their annual security talks next week. 

According to the defense ministry, Minister of National Defense Ahn Gyu-back and U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth will hold the 57th Security Consultative Meeting in Seoul on November 4. 

The meeting will be the first of its kind to be held since the launch of the Lee Myung-bak government and U.S. President Donald Trump’s second administration. 

The ministry said the two officials will discuss ways to advance the South Korea-U.S. alliance to be future-oriented and reciprocal in an effort to respond to the changing security environment and threats. 

Discussions will include cooperation on North Korea policies, defense readiness, extended deterrence and warship construction, as well as defense-related science and technology. 

In particular, the modernization of the alliance, currently under discussion among the two nations' diplomats, may come up.