Officials from the two countries will meet Wednesday and Thursday to exchange views on Seoul's deployment plans and discuss the number and type of South Korean troops to be dispatched to the Middle Eastern country. Later this month, defense chiefs from each country are supposed to reach a final agreement on these matters at the annual Security Consultative Meeting, to be held in Seoul.

Deputy Foreign Minister Lee Soo-hyuck will be leading the South Korean delegation, which will meet with high-ranking U.S. officials such as Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs James Kelly and Assistant Secretary of Defense Richard Lawless.

The South Korean and U.S. officials will discuss the size, nature and location of South Korean troops to be dispatched to Iraq.

Reportedly, Seoul plans to propose during the meeting that it send 3,000 soldiers, comprising infantry, medical, engineering, communications and transportation personnel. But the figure could change according to the results of the consultations.

A government official also signaled that the final outline of the troop dispatch would be given only after the annual Security Consultative Meeting. “The size of the dispatch will be determined based on the outcome of the second Iraq investigation team’s field study and the result of the SCM to be held on Nov. 17 and 18 in Seoul,” he said. (Kwon Kyong-bok, kkb@chosun.com )