South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) chairman Kim Seung-kyum salutes during a parliamentary audit at the National Assembly in western Seoul, Oct 6. Korea Times file

South Korea's top military officer left for Washington on Tuesday for talks with his U.S. and Japanese counterparts, officials here said, as the three sides seek to boost security cooperation against evolving North Korean threats.

Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Chairman Gen. Kim Seung-kyum will meet with his U.S. counterpart, Gen. Mark Milley, on Wednesday at the 47th Military Committee Meeting, according to the JCS.

The two sides are set to assess the security situation of the Korean Peninsula and the region, and discuss strengthening the allies' combined defense posture. it said.

They will also discuss the planned "conditions-based" handover of the wartime operational command (OPCON) from Washington to Seoul.

Kim will attend the Trilateral Chief of Defense (Tri-CHOD) meeting the next day, involving Milley and his Japanese counterpart, Gen. Koji Yamazaki, for talks on multilateral defense cooperation and training, and regional security challenges.

On Friday, Kim will visit the U.S. Strategic Command in Nebraska and the U.S. Space Command in Colorado to discuss ways to strengthen coordination against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats. (Yonhap)