Korea, US to hold meeting to discuss SOFA-related issues

South Korea and the United States will hold a meeting this week to discuss pending issues regarding their agreement governing the legal status of American forces stationed in South Korea, the foreign ministry said Monday.

The 198th meeting of the Status of Forces Agreement will be held on a US base in Seoul on Tuesday, led by Cho Koo-rae, director general of the foreign ministry's North America bureau, and Thomas W. Bergeson, deputy commander of US Forces Korea.

South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo (R) and his American counterpart James Mattis in an image provided by Yonhap News TV. (Yonhap)

They will discuss environmental issues around US installations and other pending issues related to the operation of SOFA, which governs the legal status of the 28,000-strong USFK.

The SOFA meeting is held once or twice a year, and Tuesday's session will be first since last November. (Yonhap)