Korea, UAE defense chiefs meet to promote military cooperation

Defense chiefs of South Korea and the United Arab Emirates on Monday discussed measures to further promote bilateral military ties that have been enhanced with the dispatching of troops to the Middle East country, the government said.

Defense Minister Han Min-koo had a meeting with his UAE counterpart Mohammed Al-Bawardi in Seoul to discuss the operations of the Akh Unit sent to the middle eastern country for peacekeeping and other military support duties, the defense ministry said in a statement.

The UAE defense minister is scheduled to visit the Defense Acquisition Program Administration later in the day, it said without elaborating.

At present, there are four South Korean military units operating overseas -- the Hanbit Unit in South Sudan, the Dongmyung Unit in Lebanon, the Akh Unit in the UAE and the naval Cheonghae Unit that is stationed off Oman's coast -- for peacekeeping, restoration, anti-pirate and training missions.

The 150-strong Akh (Brothers) Unit has been dispatched to the UAE to help train the country's special forces and protect South Korean residents there since January 2011.

The defense ministry has made a request to the National Assembly for an extension of the Akh Unit's operations in the UAE, which ends in December.  (Yonhap)