FACTBOX - Major issues between South Korea and the U.S.

Published: 02 Nov 2009 17:33:55 PST

SEOUL, Nov 3 - U.S. President Barack Obama is scheduled to visit South Korea this month as a part of his Asian trip.

Here are a few issues that will likely be on the agenda for the Nov. 18-19 visit when he meets President Lee Myung-bak:

NORTH KOREA POLICY

Seoul and Washington have been trying to prod a reluctant North Korea back to the bargaining table for talks on ending its nuclear arms programme. Pyongyang in the past has tried to play one off against the other in order to drive wedges between the allies. In what may be its latest ploy, the North has proposed direct talks with the United States as a condition for returning to international disarmament discussions that include South Korea. It has also warmed up to Seoul, once a major supplier of aid, while Washington has pressed for strict implementation of U.N. sanctions to punish the North for its nuclear test in May.

TRADE DEAL

South Korea and the United States reached a free trade deal in 2007 that has yet to be approved by legislatures in either country. The deal is expected to add an estimated $20 billion to their two-way trade that reached $83 billion in 2008. Obama has shown reservations about the deal with some in his administration indicating sections on items including auto trade might have to be reworked. South Korea has said it will not alter the deal. While this agreement has languished, Seoul has struck other FTAs, including one with the European Union. South Korean lawmakers have said they want to see positive moves in Washington before they bring the deal up in the National Assembly.

U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk will deliver a speech on Thursday outlining the Obama administration's review of the deal, which has won support from most mainstream U.S. business and farm groups but been opposed by some carmakers and labour groups.

MILITARY ALLIANCE

The United States, which positions about 28,000 of its troops in the South to deter the North from attacking, has a deal with Seoul to turn over the war time command of its troops by 2012. Under the current arrangement that is a legacy of U.S. involvement in the 1950-53 Korean War, South Korea's soldiers would be under the command of U.S. forces if there was a war on the peninsula. The shift in operation control was a matter of contention between the two governments a few years ago, but now there is little friction between the allies.

Last week, South Korea said it would send troops and combat engineers to Afghanistan in a move welcomed by Washington that will likely improve the atmosphere in Seoul during Obama's summit with President Lee.

Other issues that could come up include plans to move U.S. troops out of Seoul and to bases further south over the next years and a possible call from South Korea to revise a deal with the United States that limits the range of its missiles so that it can deploy rockets capable of hitting all of North Korea.

Source: Reuters