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 The discussions would focus on placing one Terminal High Altitude
Area Defense (THAAD) system with the U.S. military in South Korea, a
South Korean defense official told Reuters on condition of
anonymity.
Pentagon spokesman Commander Bill Urban said in an email that a
joint working group would "review all aspects regarding the
potential of deployment of a THAAD system to South Korea."
"We expect the first meeting to occur next week," he said.
North Korea launched a long-range rocket on Feb. 7 carrying what it
called a satellite, drawing renewed international condemnation just
weeks after it carried out a nuclear bomb test.
It said the launch was for peaceful purposes, but Seoul and
Washington have said it violated United Nations Security Council
resolutions because it used ballistic missile technology.
North Korea carried out a nuclear bomb test last month, also banned
by a U.N. resolution.
 On Wednesday, South Korea suspended operations at the Kaesong
industrial zone as punishment for the rocket launch and nuclear
test. The zone, just inside North Korea, had operated for more than
a decade.
The North on Thursday called the action "a declaration of war" and
expelled the South's workers. Kaesong was the last venue for regular
interaction between the divided Koreas.
The 280 South Koreans who had remained in Kaesong rushed to leave
the industrial park on Thursday evening, completing the pullout at
11:05 p.m. (9.05 a.m. ET/1405 GMT), according to the South's
Unification Ministry, which handles relations with the North.
A few minutes before midnight, the South shut off the supply of
electricity into Kaesong that powered the factory zone, the ministry
said early on Friday. It also cut the water supply.
The United States, Japan and South Korea are seeking tougher U.N.
sanctions against North Korea in the wake of the nuclear test and
rocket launch.
CHINESE, RUSSIAN CONCERNS
Wang Yi, the foreign minister of China, North Korea's neighbor and
main ally, said on Friday that Beijing supported a U.N. Security
Council resolution to make Pyongyang "pay the necessary price" for
the launch.
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He also expressed concern over a possible U.S. deployment of its
sophisticated THAAD missile defense system to South Korea, saying it
could also be used to target China.
U.S. military officials have said the THAAD system is needed in
South Korea, but Seoul had been reluctant to openly discuss its
deployment given the risk of damaging ties with China, its biggest
trade partner.
Russia has also expressed concern about the potential deployment of
THAAD, saying it could trigger an arms race in Northeast Asia.
South Korea and the United States have said the system, built by
Lockheed Martin Corp <LMT.N> and designed to intercept and destroy
ballistic missiles inside or just outside the atmosphere during
their final phase of flight, would be focused only on North Korea.
South Korea accused North Korea of "illegal" acts by freezing the
assets of South Korean companies in Kaesong, and warned that
Pyongyang would be held responsible for any consequences from the
industrial park's suspension.
The Kaesong project employed about 55,000 North Koreans, who were
given a taste of life in the South, working for the 124 mostly
small- and medium-sized manufacturers that operated there, about 54
km (34 miles) northwest of Seoul.
Except for Kaesong, both countries forbid their citizens from
communicating with each other across their heavily armed border.
Despite volatile North-South relations, Kaesong had been shut only
once before, for five months in 2013 amid heightened tensions
following Pyongyang's third nuclear test.
(Additional reporting by David Brunnstrom; Editing by Dean Yates,
Toni Reinhold)
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