In the 27th Security Policy Initiative (SPI) that will be held in Seoul on Monday, South Korea and the United States will be discussing major security issues affecting Korean Peninsula.

The meeting will be headed by South Korean Deputy Defense Minister Chang Kwang-il and his U.S. counterpart Michael Schiffer from the Department of Defense for East Asia. It will also be attended by defense and diplomacy officials from both sides.

In the 27th round of SPI meeting, the two nations will reconfirm their principle that the two sides will respond resolutely and strongly in the event of another provocation from North Korea, such as the North’s recent artillery attack on South Korea’s Yeonpyeong Island.

Both sides will also discuss ways to effectively implement countermeasures to the North’s attack.

In addition, they will discuss the operation of the Extended Deterrence Policy Committee to prepare for North Korea’s nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction threats. Also on the agenda are preparations for a “Strategic Alliance 2015” which stipulates follow-ups to the U.S. transfer of wartime operational command to South Korea, and realignment of U.S. forces in South Korea.

The SPI talks have been held every two to three months since February 2005. They focus on pending issues related to joint response to threats from North Korea and ways to develop mutual security cooperation between South Korea and the U.S.