The US Defence Secretary Robert Gates has added a short stop in South Korea to his upcoming trip to Asia. The US Defence Department announced the visit in a statement on Monday. Officials had announced last week that Gates will travel to China and Japan in early January. Defence Department spokesman Geoff Morrell says Gates will travel to Seoul on January 14 to meet his South Korean counterpart, Kim Kwan-Jin. Morrell said the two leaders will discuss North Korea's recent actions and consult on the way forward for the alliance to address the threats posed by North Korean provocations and its nuclear and missile programmes. Gates is scheduled to visit China from January 9 to 12. The US Defence Secretary will meet the Chinese Defence Minister, General Liang Guanglie and top political leaders. Gates will go to Japan for talks with Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa. Tensions on the Korean peninsula are likely to dominate the talks in all three countries.