Defense Minister Kim Tae-young has left for Washington to attend the 42nd annual Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) between South Korea and the U.S.

While there, Kim will hold one-on-one talks with U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and meetings with other officials starting Friday night, Korean time.

The two defense ministers will evaluate changes to the security environment following the March sinking of South Korea’s “Cheonan” naval corvette and ways to cooperate in response to threats posed by North Korea. They will also discuss the future direction of the South Korea-U.S. alliance and plans for the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) to Seoul, among other issues.

The two officials will also sign the Strategic Alliance 2015 agreement on the transfer of operational control, the guideline on the direction of South Korea-U.S. military collaboration, and a new strategic guideline for the development of updated war protocol.