S. Korean, British officials discuss cooperation on arms industry, technologies

Senior defense officials from South Korea and Britain met on the margins of a British air show earlier this week to discuss bilateral cooperation in the arms industry and defense technologies, Seoul officials said Wednesday.

Vice Defense Minister Shin Beom-chul and Jeremy Quin, Britain's minister for defense procurement, held talks Tuesday as they visited the Farnborough International Airshow, a major trade exhibition for the aerospace and defense industries.

The two sides discussed various ways to deepen defense cooperation as part of efforts to flesh out the "bilateral framework for closer cooperation" adopted during last month's summit between President Yoon Suk-yeol and his British counterpart, Boris Johnson.

Shin explained Seoul's efforts to strengthen its defense architecture to counter North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile threats.

Quin agreed Seoul and London need to work together to reinforce cooperation in the defense industry, science and technology, as well as diplomatic efforts to cope with the North's military threats, according to Seoul's defense ministry.

The two sides also shared the view on the need to accelerate cooperation between the two countries' defense research institutes -- the South's Agency for Defense Development and Britain's Defense Science & Technology Laboratory.

Shin, in addition, asked for Britain's interest in South Korea's K-9 self-propelled howitzer that seeks to join Britain's project to procure such an artillery system.

Quin said in turn that he is aware of the K-9's excellence and proposed cooperation in various sectors, including South Korea's high-profile project to locally develop the KF-21 fighter, according to the ministry. (Yonhap)