South Korea, Britain discuss defence, arms industry cooperation

Seoul, Aug 26 (IANS) South Korea's Vice Defence Minister Lee Doo-hee met with Luke Pollard, Britain's Armed Forces Minister, in Seoul on Tuesday to discuss ways to strengthen security and defence industry cooperation between the two countries, the defence ministry said.

Lee expressed gratitude for Britain's contribution to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, citing its deployment of a large contingent of troops during the 1950-53 Korean War, Yonhap News Agency reported.

Pollard reaffirmed Britain's support for South Korea's policy toward North Korea, including efforts to achieve peace on the peninsula and denuclearisation.

He expressed hope to further bolster bilateral ties through high-level consultations, expanding joint training exercises and enhancing defence exchanges.

The officials also discussed pursuing mutually beneficial initiatives, including joint defence exports, to further advance bilateral cooperation.

The two countries are in talks to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on defence cooperation aimed at establishing stronger institutional framework and broadening areas of collaboration.

On August 11, South Korea's Foreign Minister Cho Hyun spoke with his British counterpart, David Lammy, to discuss ways to advance their strategic partnership and other security issues, his office said.

Cho noted that the two countries have actively engaged in high-level exchanges since the launch of the Lee Jae Myung government in June and urged Britain's active support for the new administration's foreign policy.

Additionally, Cho expressed hope for closer cooperation in upgrading their bilateral free trade agreement as well as in the economic and artificial intelligence sectors.

In response, Lammy voiced his expectation that the two sides will closely communicate for the continued development of the bilateral relationship in key areas, including trade, defense and climate change.

The two ministers also exchanged their views on the security of the Korean Peninsula and the situation in Ukraine, and agreed to meet at an early date for in-depth discussions on further strengthening bilateral ties.

--IANS

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