Ask what Korea is talking about.

South Korean Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will hold their first bilateral talks in the Philippines this week, ahead of an ASEAN-led defense ministers' meeting, Yonhap and the Korea Times report. Kang heads to the Philippines Tuesday for his first multilateral security gathering since taking office, according to the Ministry of National Defense. The talks come as Seoul and Washington are in close consultations to complete the full operational capability assessment for a South Korean-led combined command for the OPCON transfer, KBS World reports.