President Park Geun-hye called Thursday for expanding cooperation with the United States in cyberscurity and space to cope with threats posed by North Korea as she met with U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter.

"I hope that South Korea and the U.S. will expand cooperation in a comprehensive and strategic" manner over the issue, Park said in a meeting with Carter at the Pentagon.

North Korea has a track record of waging cyberattacks on South Korea and the United States, though it has flatly denied any involvement.

The comment also came amid lingering speculation that North Korea may launch a long-range rocket in the coming months to put what it claims to be a satellite into orbit.

Seoul and Washington view a satellite launch as a cover for testing the North's ballistic missile technology, which is banned under U.N. resolutions.

A new rocket launch could prompt the U.N. to further tighten sanctions on North Korea, which has long been under an array of U.S. and international sanctions for its missile and nuclear tests.

Park was given a 21-gun salute and received the honor guard during the 16-minute full honors parade at the Pentagon.

Park's visit to the Pentagon -- the second by a South Korean leader -- sent a clear message that Seoul and Washington have a rock solid alliance.

Some critics have claimed that Seoul may be titled toward China as Park attended the massive military parade in Beijing last month widely seen as a show of force amid the growing rivalry between the U.S. and China.

Carter said the U.S. is ready to use all possible capabilities to maintain a war deterrent on the Korean peninsula, describing the U.S. commitment to South Korea as firm as steel.

He also said he expects Seoul and Washington to closely cooperate in dealing with North Korea's provocations in the future.

Park told Carter that the deal on the transfer of wartime operational control of South Korean forces could help deter North Korea's provocations.

Last year, the allies agreed to delay the transfer until South Korea is capable of countering North Korean threats, with the mid-2020s tentatively set for the transition.

South Korea handed over control of its forces to the U.S. during the 1950-53 Korean War to defend against invading troops from North Korea. South Korea regained peacetime control of its forces in 1994.

Park later gave a pep talk to dozens of U.S. and South Korean soldiers on the rope line near Carter's conference room, a rare move by a foreign leader.

"You are the heart of South Korea-U.S. alliance," Park told the soldiers. "Korea thanks you, we go together."

She called the South Korea-U.S. alliance "the strongest alliance" in the world and said the two sides will become global partners upholding their common values and ideal.

Also Thursday, Park held a lunch meeting with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden at his official residence and the two reviewed recent progress within the alliance, bilaterally, regionally, and globally.

It is the first time that Biden has invited an Asian leader to his residence at the Naval Observatory since U.S. President Barack Obama took office, a move that illustrated the friendship between the two allies.

"The two discussed the importance of strong regional relations and close coordination on common strategic interests," the White House said after the meeting. It also said Biden commended Park for her efforts to improve inter-Korean ties and reaffirmed unwavering U.S. commitment to deter and defend against North Korean provocations.

North Korea will be at the top of the agenda for Park and Obama when they meet on Friday, U.S. National Security Council Senior Director for Asian Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink said Wednesday at a Foreign Press Center briefing.

The North has repeatedly pledged to develop its economy and nuclear arsenal in tandem, viewing its nuclear program as a powerful deterrent against what it claims is Washington's hostile policy against it.

In a sign of hospitality, the U.S. has displayed three framed photos of Park in Blair House, the state guesthouse where Park stays, chief presidential press secretary Kim Sung-woo told reporters.

The two photos show Park with Obama at their 2013 summit and the two walking down the corridor next to the Rose Garden, while the third shows Park's speech at a joint session of Congress during her 2013 visit to the U.S.

One of the three photos will be permanently displayed in the Lee Dining Room where photos of famous people are displayed, Kim said. (Yonhap)