S. Korea's defense chief meets top Canadian general to discuss security cooperation

Defense 15:05 June 09, 2023

SEOUL, June 9 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup met with Canada's top general in Seoul on Friday to discuss regional security and bilateral defense cooperation, Lee's office said.

Lee's meeting with Canada's Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Wayne Eyre came as the two countries have been seeking to deepen defense ties, as seen in their launch of a joint committee on arms industry cooperation last week.

The two sides discussed ways to deepen cooperation through combined exercises and arms industry collaboration, while sharing a common view on the similarities of their countries' Indo-Pacific strategies to strengthen the "rules-based international order," according to Lee's ministry.

Lee thanked Eyre for Canada's support for Seoul's efforts to maintain peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, noting his service as the first non-American deputy commander of the U.N. Command (UNC) from 2018-2019. Eyre reaffirmed that his country will continue to take part in the command's missions, it said.

The UNC serves as the enforcer of the armistice that effectively halted the 1950-53 Korean War.

During the meeting, the minister also asked for Canada's participation in major events hosted by his office later this year, including the annual Seoul Defense Dialogue and a defense ministerial meeting of UNC member countries.

Later in the day, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Kim Seung-kyum met with Eyre for talks on military cooperation and the security situation on the peninsula and the Indo-Pacific region, according to the JCS.

The two sides noted that bilateral cooperation has been strengthening since their countries upgraded their ties to a "comprehensive strategic partnership" in September 2022, and agreed on the need to further expand the scope of military and arms industry cooperation for the stability of the Indo-Pacific, it said.

Kim also thanked Eyre for Canada's implementation of sanctions on North Korea, describing it as greatly contributing to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.