S. Korea's Navy chief to visit U.S. to coordinate response to N. Korean provocations

South Korea's Navy chief will visit the United States to discuss ways to coordinate joint responses to North Korea's provocations, the military said Sunday.

Adm. Jung Ho-sub will leave for the United States for a weeklong trip and hold talks with top leaders in the U.S. Navy, the country's Navy said.

It said the chief of naval operations will meet U.S. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, his counterpart Adm. John Richardson and head of the U.S.' Pacific fleet Scott Swift.

"During the talks, Jung will discuss how best to strengthen Seoul and Washington's naval response to North Korean provocations if they occur," a military official said. He said that the four-star admiral will also touch on plans to further develop South Korea's Navy and calls for strengthening already strong ties between the naval arms of the two allies.

The trip by Jung who left on Sunday is his first to the United States after he assumed command of South Korea's Navy as chief of naval operations last year. His predecessor visited the United States in 2014. (Yonhap)