South Korea's state-run defense university said Tuesday it plans to ink a preliminary deal with its U.S. counterpart this week to strengthen academic exchanges amid North Korea's evolving threats.

The Korea National Defense University (KNDU) and the National Defense University of the U.S. will sign the memorandum of understanding Wednesday, which calls for expanding exchanges of personnel and education programs, the KNDU said.

"Defense cooperation between Seoul and Washington has become more important as North Korea's latest nuclear test and long-range missile launch has spiked military tension on the Korean Peninsula," Wee Seung-ho, president of the KNDU, said in a statement. "We expect the agreement to spur academic exchanges between the allies' militaries down the road."

Established in 1924, the National Defense University is Washington's national security institution. (Yonhap)