Defense chief discusses cooperation with counterparts from 7 nations, NATO

Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun held bilateral talks with his counterparts from seven nations and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization on Wednesday to discuss the security situation on the Korean Peninsula, and ways to broaden defense and arms industry cooperation, his office said.

Kim held back-to-back meetings with the defense ministers of Cameroon, Canada, Finland, Malaysia and Mongolia, as well as Japan's state minister of defense, the chair of the NATO Military Committee and the minister of state for defense affairs of the United Arab Emirates, according to the defense ministry.

The talks came on the sidelines of the annual Seoul Defense Dialogue that kicked off its two-day run earlier in the day. Some 900 security officials and experts around the world joined the forum for discussions on regional and global security issues and challenges.

During the South Korea-Japan talks, Kim and his counterpart, Makoto Oniki, concurred on the importance of bilateral security cooperation, as well as their trilateral security cooperation also involving the United States, according to the ministry.

They also agreed to closely cooperate on key security issues and seek forward-looking defense exchanges as Seoul and Tokyo are set to mark their 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties next year.

In talks with Canadian defense chief Bill Blair, Kim highlighted the capabilities of South Korean shipbuilders and suggested establishing a mutually beneficial model for cooperation in the arms industry sector.

Kim's remarks came as Canada has launched a process to acquire 12 submarines, a project that major South Korean shipbuilders are eyeing to take part in.

The defense chiefs also agreed to pursue opportunities for mutual cooperation, noting their comprehensive strategic partnership announced by their leaders in 2022.

Kim also met with the chair of NATO's Military Committee, Rob Bauer, where they concurred on the need for cooperation between South Korea and NATO based on their shared universal values of freedom, human rights and a market economy and bolster cooperation in areas including cyber and information sharing.

Kim and his UAE counterpart, Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Mazrouei, agreed to bolster cooperation through high-level exchange and joint training centering on the Akh unit, South Korean troops deployed in the country.

The defense chiefs concurred on the joint development and production of weapons systems and strategic cooperation in the arms industry, the ministry said.

In his meeting with Malaysian defense minister, Haji Mohamed Khaled Nordin, Kim said their bilateral cooperation has evolved with a deal to export FA-50 fighters, while Khaled proposed cooperation in a range of areas, including personnel exchange and military artificial intelligence.

Kim and his Mongolian counterpart, Byambatsogt Sandag, discussed ongoing cooperation in joint anti-terrorism training and exchange and education of officers.

In what marked the first defense ministerial meeting between South Korea and Cameroon since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1961, Kim and his counterpart, Joseph Beti Assomo, agreed to seek cooperation in the defense and arms sectors, including in the state communications network business of the central African country.

Kim also held talks with Finnish defense chief Antti Hakkanen, where Kim voiced support for Helsinki's decision to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization last year amid increasing security interconnectivity between Asia and Europe.

Kim also called for further boosting their defense, arms and technology cooperation, noting how Finland first adopted South Korea's K-9 self-propelled howitzers in 2017. (Yonhap)