President Trump's top national security aide is due in Seoul this afternoon.
John Bolton's trip is expected to give South Korea a clearer picture on where the U.S. stands on the various security issues shared by the allies.
This includes whether Washington is ready to step in... to help end the trade row between its closest allies in Northeast Asia.
Kim Ji-yeon has the details.

U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton arrives in Seoul on Tuesday for a two-day visit.
It is his first solo visit to the country since he took office in March last year.
He will meet his South Korean counterpart Chung Eui-yong... as well as Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo on Wednesday.
The two sides are expected to discuss a range of issues centered on diplomatic efforts to achieve the denuclearization of North Korea... and military measures to support those efforts.
It's widely speculated the two sides will discuss Seoul's stance in maintaining the General Security of Military Information Agreement, a bilateral military information sharing pact between Seoul and Tokyo... as well as the possibility of South Korea's participation in a U.S.-led coalition aimed at maintaining the freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz... amid escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran.
During his visit to Japan on Monday... Bolton held talks with Shotaro Yachi, who heads the secretariat of Japan's National Security Council of the Prime Minister... as well as Foreign Minister Taro Kono and Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya.
Bolton's visit comes after President Trump had stated last Friday he's willing to get involved on the ongoing trade spat between South Korea and Japan... if need be,... but added that he prefers the two countries to work out a solution on their own.
President Moon Jae-in had requested President Trump's involvement during their bilateral summit in Seoul last month.
This... as part of Seoul's move to resolve the issue diplomatically,... amid a slew of Japanese media reports at the time... on the possibility of Tokyo slapping economic restrictions on South Korea... as retaliation for Seoul upholding local court rulings to liquidate assets of certain Japanese companies operating in South Korea to compensate the Korean victims of Japan's wartime forced labor.
Kim Ji-yeon, Arirang News.