U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will visit South Korea next week to discuss pending bilateral issues as well as President Park Geun-hye's trip to Washington, the State Department announced Monday.

During the May 17-18 visit, Kerry will meet with President Park and Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se to "discuss a range of global, regional, and bilateral issues, as well as President Park's upcoming visit to the United States," the department said in a statement.

Kerry's discussions in Seoul are expected to include the assessment of the situation on the Korean Peninsula, and Park's planned visit to the U.S. in mid-June, among other bilateral issues, a diplomatic source in Seoul said earlier in the day.

According to government sources, Park plans to make an "official working visit" to the U.S. in mid-June for talks with Barack Obama to discuss ways to strengthen alliances and boost coordination to better deter the belligerent North Korea.

Kerry last visited South Korea in February 2014.

Before visiting Seoul, Kerry will travel to Beijing on May 16-17 for meetings with senior leaders of the Chinese government to advance U.S. priorities ahead of the Strategic and Economic Dialogue this summer and the planned visit to the U.S. of President Xi Jinping this fall, the State Department said.

His Northeast Asia trip does not include a stop in Japan, the source in Seoul said. (Yonhap)