The head of the U.S. military's Pacific Command (PACOM) will visit South Korea from Sunday, as the two allies kick off annual large-scale military exercise Monday amid soaring tensions with nuclear-armed North Korea.
PACOM commander Adm. Harry Harris will meet with South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Jeong Kyeong-doo, the U.S. military confirmed Saturday.
Harris is expected to discuss regional security issues, including the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system, in the meetings. He will also view the joint Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG) exercise during the trip that will run through Tuesday.