Korea, Peru to discuss defense, security ties

South Korean and Peruvian defense ministers will hold talks this week to strengthen bilateral ties in security and arms industry sectors, the government said Tuesday.

The defense ministry said Kim Kwan-jin will meet Pedro Cateriano on Wednesday in Seoul to discuss recent headway made in two-way relations and review developments in the export deal for KT-1 basic trainers.

The KT-1 or Woongbi is a propeller-driven tandem two-seat trainer plane built jointly by the state-run Agency for Defense Development and the Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd.

South Korea plans to sell 20 of these trainers to the South American country with four being made directly by the KAI and the rest to be assembled in Peru in a joint production arrangement that runs through 2015.

Peru opened a joint production facility for the aircraft last week at its Las Palmas Air Force base in Lima.

The ministry said at the Kim-Cateriano meeting the heads of Peru‘s Air Force and Navy will be present, with a joint press conference scheduled for afterwards.

Besides the ministerial meeting, the two sides plan to hold their first-ever national defense policy meeting that had been agreed at the defense minister meeting held in April. The two sides will discuss ways to facilitate training and education for military personnel and the signing of a military secret protection pact, the ministry said. (Yonhap News)