SEOUL - Republic of Korea(ROK) and the United States launched the latest round of talks Thursday in Seoul over deterring potential provocations by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the ROK defense ministry said.

During the 29th Security Policy Initiative (SPI) talks, the two sides are expected to discuss ways to jointly deter potential provocations by the DPRK and other security issues including the relocation of some 28,500 US forces stationed in ROK, according to the ministry.

Leading the discussions are ROK's deputy defense minister Lim Kwan-bin and US deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia, Michael Schiffer.

The defense ministry said the two allies will assess the level of threat posed by Pyongyang's weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and discuss staging joint anti-WMD drills in the second Extended Deterrence Policy Committee meeting on the sidelines of the SPI talks.

They will also review progress in the scheduled 2015 transfer of wartime operational control from Washington to Seoul in a spate committee meeting, according to the defense ministry.