Seoul: U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau will visit South Korea later this week for talks on the bilateral alliance and other issues, diplomatic sources said Wednesday. Landau will make a two-day trip to Seoul from Saturday through Sunday, marking his first visit to the country.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Landau is expected to hold talks with his South Korean counterpart, First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo. He may also pay a courtesy call on Foreign Minister Cho Hyun. Discussions between Landau and Park are expected to focus on key alliance issues, particularly U.S. efforts for "modernization of alliance," which aim at realigning the defense posture to better counter China. This includes the concept of "strategic flexibility," which involves readjusting the role and size of U.S. forces in South Korea.

U.S. President Donald Trump's potential visit to South Korea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, scheduled for late October, is likely to be on the agenda. Additionally, the two sides could address the recent mass detention of more than 300 South Koreans in last week's immigration crackdown by U.S. authorities in Georgia.