US, South Korea to launch strategic dialogue

The United States and South Korea will launch their first ministerial strategic dialogue next week on a wide range of issues.

The United States and South Korea will launch their first ministerial strategic dialogue next week on a wide range of issues, the State Department has said.

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The talks were agreed to by President George W Bush and President Roh Moo-hyun during their summit at the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in South Korea in November.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will host South Korea's Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon for the inaugural session of the so-called Strategic Consultations for Allied Partnership on January 19, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters.

"Topics of discussion will include global, regional and bilateral issues of mutual concern," he said.

"The strategic consultations reflect the dynamic global partnership we have developed with the Republic of Korea and consolidate the strong bilateral cooperation that we have long shared," McCormack said.

Efforts to end North Korea's nuclear weapons drive and the readjustment of the traditional American-South Korean military alliance are expected to be among key topics of the discussions, analysts say.

The United States and South Korea have substantial disagreements on how to end the nuclear crisis in the Korean peninsula.