Page 193 - 2018 Defense White Paper

Ministers discussed ways to enhance multilateral joint response capabilities for counterterrorism

and maritime security, and agreed to enable the ROK government to take lead on the Korean
Peninsula issue in multilateral security consultative bodies.
In April 2018, on the occasion of the Vietnamese Minister of National Defense’s visit, a

bilateral Defense Ministerial Meeting was held. The two Defense Ministers agreed to bolster
defense cooperation and defense industrial cooperation to promote strategic cooperation
between the ROK and Vietnam, a key nation in the New Southern Policy. They signed the

“ROK–Vietnam Statement on Common Vision for Defense Cooperation” that paves the way to
strengthen and enhance bilateral defense cooperation in the future.
In the same month, the ROK Minister of National Defense met with Secretary of National

Defense of the Philippines, who visited the ROK to attend a frigate construction ceremony, and
discussed the outcome of the inter-Korean summit and the defense issues between the ROK and
the Philippines, as well as ways to strengthen defense industrial cooperation.
In early June of 2018, the ROK Minister of National Defense visited Vietnam during the trip

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to Southeast Asia to attend the 17 ASS and held ROK–Vietnam Defense Ministerial Talks
and paid a courtesy call to the Vietnamese Prime Minister. During the Defense Ministerial

talks and the courtesy call, regional security dynamics, including that of the Korean Peninsula,
and ways to enhance defense and defense industrial cooperation were discussed. The two Chapter 5
Defense Ministers signed the “Mutual Logistics Support Agreement,” laying the foundation for
logistics cooperation and establishing an institutional framework for a comprehensive defense

cooperation.
In September 2018, during the SDD, the ROK Vice Minister of National Defense hosted
separate Vice–Ministerial Meetings with the Cambodian Secretary of State of the Ministry of

National Defense and the Bruneian Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Defense. During the
meeting, the ROK signed MOUs on defense cooperation with both Cambodia and Brunei,
which establish the institutional foundation to strengthen defense exchanges and cooperation

with the two nations.
In December 2018, the ROK Vice Minister of National Defense visited Vietnam and Indonesia
in support of the ROK government’s New Southern Policy. During the visit to Vietnam, the

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ROK and Vietnam held the 7 Defense Strategic Dialogue, and decided to strengthen and
expand senior off icial exchanges, cooperation on peacekeeping operations, cooperation for the
recovery of remains of the fallen soldier, and defense industrial cooperation. During the visit

Section 3 Expansion of Defense Exchanges and Cooperation 191