S. Korea, US discuss bolstering cooperation in US arms maintenance

South Korea and the United States have discussed ways to expand the participation of South Korean companies in the maintenance of US military equipment in the Indo-Pacific region, the defense ministry said Monday.

Lee Gap-su, head of the ministry's logistics management bureau, held a meeting with Christopher J. Lowman, US assistant secretary of defense for sustainment, on the sidelines of a Pentagon-hosted workshop on the arms industry and logistics support held in Hawaii on Thursday and Friday.

During the talks, the two sides shared the need to expand the use of logistics capabilities of US allies in the Indo-Pacific region, citing changes in the security environment, supply chain uncertainties and increasing regional conflicts, the ministry said.

The ministry said the workshop introduced defense maintenance, repair and overhaul projects involving South Korean companies, including Korean Air, Sunjin Entech, LIG Nex1 and Hanhwa, paving the way for their greater participation in the MRO programs in the region.

The workshop was attended by defense officials from 15 other nations in the Indo-Pacific region, including Australia, Japan, Britain, Germany, France and Canada. (Yonhap)