MANILA -- Foreign ministers of South Korea and China will hold talks in the Philippines on Sunday to discuss North Korea and other pending issues, according to Seoul officials.

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi are to attend a set of ministerial meetings hosted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, including the ASEAN Regional Forum scheduled for Monday.

They will meet on Sunday afternoon for their first official bilateral talks since Kang took office as top diplomat in June, Seoul officials said Saturday.

They are expected to use the meeting to discuss cooperation in addressing North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile threats.

However, it is feared to be overshadowed by China's anger about the ongoing deployment of a US missile defense system in South Korea aimed at better defending against North Korea's missile threats.

Ever since the plan was announced in July last year, China has protested its installation, saying that the THAAD missile defense system and, in particular, its strong radar system could damage its strategic interest.

On arriving at an airport here earlier in the day Kang told reporters that the deployment is a matter of national defense and interest but added that communication with Beijing should continue.