Ministry of National Defense Republic of Korea

At the ROK-Romania defense ministerial talks, Minister Lee calls for Romania’s support for its bid to host World Expo 2030 in Busan

On the afternoon of September 23, Minister of National Defense Lee Jong-sup and his Romanian counterpart Vasile Dîncu held ROK-Romania defense ministerial talks at the main building of the ministry in Yongsan, Seoul, during which they discussed bilateral cooperation in the areas of national defense and the arms industry.

During the talks, Lee expressed his hope for the expansion of bilateral cooperation in the areas of national defense and the arms industry, offering the assessment that the two countries have been “deepening amicable relations in many fields since the establishment of a strategic partnership in 2008.”

In response, Dîncu said “Romania is highly interested in increasing our security cooperation with the ROK. I hope for an expansion of defense cooperation, including cyber security and military information exchanges, centering around bilateral cooperation in the area of the arms industry for mutual interests.”

Dîncu welcomed the ROK’s efforts to strengthen cooperation with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and expressed his hope that the ROK will be strengthening multilateral cooperation through NATO and Romania, a member of NATO, as the ROK is one of NATO’s important partner nations in the Indo-Pacific region.

Lee said that our government is making an effort to host World Expo 2030 in Busan, and called for Romania’s support for its bid, reminding Dîncu of the countries' shared values of democracy and rules-based international order.

“I am well aware of the ROK’s remarkable economic and cultural capabilities. I will convey the ROK’s position to the related departments after returning home,” Dîncu replied.

Significantly, the two sides signed an amendment to the ‘Letter of Intention (LOI) for the promotion of ROK-Romania defense cooperation’ and agreed to work to conclude a defense cooperation agreement in the near future.

By Chul-Hwan, Kim < droid001@dema.mil.kr >

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