defense chief-defense talks

By Kim Hyun-soo

SEOUL, Oct. 29 (Yonhap) -- South Korean Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul on Thursday met with his Singaporean and Vietnamese counterparts to discuss ways to expand defense cooperation with the two countries, his ministry said.

Kang met with Singapore's Defense Minister Chan Chun Sing on the sidelines of an extended defense ministers' meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the Philippines, according to the ministry.

During the talks, the two sides positively assessed their efforts to expand cooperation in the defense sector after the two countries forged a strategic partnership during summit talks between their leaders in November last year.

The ministers also agreed to expand cooperation in various areas, including personnel exchanges, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence (AI).

Kang also met separately with Vietnamese Defense Minister Phan Van Giang, with the two sides agreeing to swiftly hold their annual senior-level defense talks in a bid to accelerate cooperation in the defense sector.

They also vowed to push for a revision to a bilateral memorandum of understanding on defense cooperation concluded in 2010 to better reflect the changing security landscape and the state of their relations.

South Korea and Vietnam agreed to establish a comprehensive and strategic partnership in 2022 on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of their diplomatic relations.

During the back-to-back meetings, Kang explained that North Korea's latest launch of short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea earlier in the day posed a security threat to the Korean Peninsula and the region.

He also requested cooperation from the international community regarding the recent explosion caused by North Korean mines planted south of the Military Demarcation Line, saying it was a "clear violation" of the Armistice Agreement that suspended the 1950-53 Korean War.

The Sept. 21 mine blast injured three South Korean soldiers, two of them seriously, but Pyongyang has denied its responsibility.

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