A senior U.S. official will visit Seoul on Thursday for talks on missile defense and other security issues, officials said.

Frank A. Rose, assistant secretary of state for arms control, verification and compliance, is scheduled to arrive here later in the day for a two-day stay.

He will hold separate meetings with the director generals of the Foreign Ministry's international organizations bureau and North American affairs bureau to discuss space security and various issues related to arms reduction and nonproliferation, according to the officials.

His visit, however, has spurred speculation that the allies could discuss the deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery in South Korea to intercept North Korean missiles.

Washington has openly pitched the idea, citing North Korea's missile and nuclear weapons development.

In May, Rose said the United States is considering "the permanent stationing of a THAAD unit on the Korean Peninsula."

South Korea has stressed that the two sides are not in consultations over the issue yet.

In announcing his visit last week, the U.S. State Department said Rose will be engaged in "meetings and external events on space security, missile defense, arms control, and other bilateral and multilateral security topics."

His regional tour also includes stops in China, Vietnam and Japan. (Yonhap)