[Diplomatic circuit] Foreign defense attaches visit military facilities

Foreign defense attaches based in South Korea are visiting military facilities as part of a three-day program designed to boost their understanding of the country’s security situation, the Defense Ministry said Monday.

During the program organized by the Defense Intelligence Agency, 50 defense attaches and their spouses from 25 countries are scheduled to visit the Navy’s Third Fleet headquarters, the Air Force’s 20th Fighter Wing, and the Army’s armor school located in South Chungcheong and South Jeolla provinces.

They will also visit the headquarters of the state-run Agency for Defense Development and a factory of Kia Motors, a car maker that also manufactures major military vehicles, the ministry said in a release

“This program would be meaningful for us to learn about diplomatic efforts of the two Koreas, backed by the military, to settle peace on the Korean Peninsula, and also about South Korea’s defense industry and its great technology and production capabilities,” Col. Pedro Angel Diaz from the Spanish Air Force said.

The Defense Intelligence Agency supports the activities of foreign defense attaches here and plans such programs twice a year to raise understanding of the security situation and promote the country’s defense industry, the ministry said in a release.

By Jo He-rim (herim@heraldcorp.com)