Defense chiefs of South Korea and the United States will discuss measures to better counter the growing threats posed by North Korea in a bilateral meeting in Washington this week, the military said Monday.

Defense Minister Han Min-koo leaves for talks with his US counterpart, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, on Tuesday to attend the 48th Security Consultative Meeting slated for Oct. 19 (Washington time), it said. He is expected to focus on the extended deterrence guaranteed by the US to its key Asian allies.

"In this year's SCM, the US is expected to reaffirm its position on extended deterrence to protect South Korea against provocations from the North and come up with a Joint Statement afterwards," said an official who declined to be identified.

Washington's extended deterrence refers to the stated commitment by the US to mobilize all military assets, both nuclear and conventional, to defend its allies in crisis. At stake is if it can be set up and expanded to make certain that it actually works in contingencies, security experts said.

In the annual meeting, the two allies are also forecast to discuss countermeasures against the North's nuclear and missile threats. "The countermeasures may include a rotational deployment of US strategic assets to the South," the official said.

As North Korea has escalated its saber-rattling by conducting five nuclear detonations in the past decade and test-firing a series of ballistic missiles, the policymakers look set to hold talks about stronger sanctions on the communist regime, it said.