U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth will visit the Joint Security Area at Panmunjom when he comes to South Korea next week to attend the 57th Security Consultative Meeting(SCM). 

A senior Pentagon official who is accompanying Hegseth on his Asia tour told reporters aboard a chartered flight to Japan on Tuesday that the secretary will visit the truce village and meet South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back before conveying words of gratitude to U.S. forces stationed in the demilitarized zone.

Hegseth is set to arrive in South Korea on Monday. 

During his two-day stay, the secretary is also set to visit Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, where United States Forces Korea is headquartered. 

The Pentagon official said Hegseth will advance discussions with Ahn on the modernization of the South Korea-U.S. alliance, including the possibility of Seoul taking responsibility for its own defense against Pyongyang. 

Ahn and Hegseth will sit down for the 57th SCM next Tuesday in Seoul.