Korea, Indonesia sign agreement on military supplies

Korea signed a memorandum of understanding with Indonesia to cooperate in the fields of military supplies and services on Wednesday.

The agreement came three months after the two countries signed an MOU to establish a committee on bilateral cooperation in the military equipment industry on Sept. 9.

The agreement was signed by Korea’s Army Major General Chun Dong-woon and Indonesian Army Logistics Assistant Major General Hari Krisnomo in Jakarta.

Under the agreement, Korea and Indonesia will provide each other with military supplies and services when taking part in cooperative operations including joint military exercises, UN peacekeeping operations and disaster relief missions.

The side providing supplies or services will be repaid at a later date.

Prior to Wednesday’s signing, Korea had signed similar agreements with eight countries. The countries with which Korea has a standing agreement are Australia, Canada, Israel, New Zealand, Philippines, Thailand, Turkey and the United States.

The Korean Ministry of National Defense said that the need for such cooperative agreements has been rising in recent years along with the increases in participation in UN peacekeeping operations, and in the frequency of natural disasters.

The ministry said that in light of such conditions, the MOU with Indonesia will “not only improve bilateral military logistics cooperation but also contribute significantly to supporting world peace and humanitarian assistance.”

By Choi He-suk  (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)