United States defence secretary to discuss regional tensions on visit
US defence secretary will discuss North Korea in Seoul and China-Japan disputes in Tokyo, as well as regional role of US military
US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel is flying to South Korea and Japan to affirm military ties that are entering a new chapter in the face of North Korea's threats and China's growing power.
It will be Hagel's third visit to the region as Pentagon chief, and comes as Washington presses ahead with its strategic shift to the Asia-Pacific region despite growing budget pressures and repeated crises in the Middle East.
The first leg of his trip in South Korea will be filled with symbolic moments as he attends celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the alliance between the two countries, a bond that dates back to the armistice that ended the Korean war in 1953.
Tomorrow, Hagel is scheduled to tour the demilitarised zone between the South and North with his counterpart, Kim Kwan-jin, and watch joint US-South Korean exercises. On Tuesday, he is due to attend a parade marking the country's armed forces day and to hold talks with Kim.
On Wednesday, Hagel presides over a change of command ceremony for US forces in South Korea, with General James Thurman handing over to General Curtis "Mike" Scaparotti, who will take charge of the 28,500 US troops deployed in the country.
The alliance between Washington and Seoul calls for the American commander to lead South Korea's 640,000-strong force in the event of a war with the North.