South Korea and the United States will hold high-level defense talks for the first time since the coronavirus outbreak.

Seoul's Defense Ministry said Tuesday the 17th Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue(KIDD) will take place Wednesday with the U.S. Department of Defense via conference call.

The ministry's defense policy director Chung Suk-hwan and U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asia Heino Klinck will lead the talks for each side.

The allies will share assessments on the security situation on the Korean Peninsula and discuss cooperation to achieve denuclearization and lasting peace. They will also examine preparations for the transition of wartime operational control.

The defense ministry said they will also discuss advancing the alliance and coordinated efforts in the fight against COVID-19. The ongoing defense cost-sharing negotiations are expected to be addressed as well.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that he rejected South Korea's offer on defense costs because the country is wealthy and should pay for a "big percentage of what the U.S. is doing there." 

In the dialogue, South Korea is expected to broach the issue of thousands of Korean workers employed by U.S. Forces Korea who have been furloughed since the start of April due to the absence of an agreement.