Ministry of National Defense Republic of Korea

Korea unites the minds of defense cooperation with four countries in central Europe

Korea and the Visegrad Group, a cooperation body consisting of four nations from central Europe, held a vice-ministerial-level defense dialogue and promoted national defense cooperation.

On September 7, the Ministry of National Defense said “Vice-Minister Hwang Inmoo held the first Korea-Visegrad Group Vice Ministerial Defense Dialogue with vice-defense ministers of the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia, who attended the ‘fifth Seoul Defense Dialogue (SDD)’ which begins today.”

This is the first time that the Visegrad Group, a cooperative body from central Europe, attended the SDD. The four nations of the Visegrad Group have been evaluated as new driving forces of growth within Europe, as they have achieved rapid economic development following the changeover to liberal democracy in 1989. They are also playing an important role in local security, as they are located in a strategic position: right in the heart of Europe.

Realizing the importance of cooperation with the Visegrad Group, Korea held a Korea-Visegrad Group Summit Meeting in December 2015, where we agreed to promote cooperation across all major areas including the economic, social, cultural, and national defense arenas.

The meeting was held at The Westin Chosun Hotel, the same place where the SDD was held. The meeting featured presentations and discussions that focused on seeking mutual cooperation between mutual national defense and defense industries based on agreements made at the summit; moreover, military trust was also established.

An MND official said, “Both groups exchanged opinions on mutual concerns, including security circumstances surrounding the Korean Peninsula and Europe. These discussions are expected to not only broaden the scope of our mutual understanding and awareness of these issues, but will also lay the groundwork for developing actual cooperative relations in military areas.”

By Byeong-No, Yun <trylover@dema.mil.kr >

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