Page 198 - 2018 Defense White Paper

continuous defense exchange and cooperation to bolster bilateral defense industrial cooperation.

In September 2017, the ROK Vice Minister of National Defense met with Saudi Arabia’s
th
Defense Minister Assistant who visited the ROK to attend the 6 SDD. They held bilateral talks,
and agreed to actively make ef forts to strengthen bilateral defense exchanges and cooperation

between the two countries.
In October 2017, the ROK Minister of National Defense hosted separate meetings with
Lebanon’s Minister of National Defense, Oman’s Defense Ministry secretary-general, and

Egypt’s Minister of Defense and military production during their visit to the Seoul ADEX. In
the meetings, the ROK Minister of National Defense actively supported the effort to vitalize
defense exports by requesting their interest towards the ROK’s outstanding defense articles.

In November 2017, the ROK Minister of National Defense visited Oman and held a
ministerial meeting. The Defense Ministers of the two countries decided to make mutual efforts
to expand bilateral defense cooperation and particularly had in-depth discussions on ways to
extend defense industrial cooperation.

In the same month, the ROK Minister of National Defense visited Lebanon to inspect the
Dongmyeong Unit’s UN peacekeeping operations and met with Lebanon’s Minister of Defense

Yacoub Al-Sarraf. In the ministerial talks, the two sides decided to continue mutual ef forts to
systematize bilateral defense cooperation.
In July 2018, the ROK and Egypt held director general–level defense policy talks for the first
time, and agreed to further strengthen bilateral defense exchanges and cooperation between the

two countries.
In September 2018, the ROK Vice Minister of National Defense convened bilateral talks with
Saudi Arabia’s Defense Minister Assistant who visited the ROK to attend the SDD. Both sides

agreed to exert mutual efforts to enhance defense exchanges and cooperation between the two
countries.
The MND will continue to pay attention to changes in regional dynamics in the Middle East,

and further enhance defense cooperation and defense industrial cooperation between the ROK
and key countries in the region, including the UAE, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia, by regularly
organizing high-level military meetings and working-level talks.

| Europe and Canada | The ROK has been strengthening defense cooperation with countries
in Europe through senior military official exchanges while also expanding cooperation with the

196 Chapter 5 Development of the ROK–U.S. Alliance, and Expansion of Defense Exchanges and Cooperation