S. Korea, Central European nations agree to boost defense ties

SEOUL, Sept. 6 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's vice defense minister held talks with his counterparts from the Visegrad Group, an alliance of four Central European countries, Friday and agreed to strengthen defense cooperation between the two sides, Seoul's defense ministry said.

The meeting between Vice Minister Park Jae-min and his counterparts from Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland took place on the sidelines of the eighth Seoul Defense Dialogue (SDD) in Seoul.

During the talks, the two sides discussed ways to boost multilateral cooperation amid growing threats from neighboring countries and to develop their defense fields in the era of the fourth industrial revolution, according to the ministry.

They, in particular, shared the need to boost cooperation in cybersecurity, it added.

Park also held a bilateral meeting with Khamsy Vongkhamsao, permanent secretary of defense in Laos, and agreed to swiftly clinch a memorandum of understanding their defense cooperation.

The vice-ministerial forum is set to close later in the day after three days of active discussions and meetings among government officials and security experts from more than 50 countries, according to its organizer, the defense ministry.

graceoh@yna.co.kr
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