The defense chiefs of South Korea and the United States held their annual security talks in Seoul to discuss a range of issues.

Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met Tuesday for the 57th Security Consultative Meeting at the defense ministry in Seoul, joined by senior officials from both nations’ defense and foreign affairs sectors.

The meeting covered issues including the transfer of wartime operational control from Washington to Seoul and defense cost-sharing.

The agenda also included coordination on North Korea policy, a combined defense posture, extended deterrence, regional security cooperation and collaboration across cybersecurity, space and missile defense.

The two sides also discussed defense cooperation, including shipbuilding, maintenance, repair and overhaul projects, as well as collaboration in defense science and technology.

The defense ministry said both nations are committed to advancing the alliance in a future-oriented and mutually beneficial way to address the evolving security environment and threats.