Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin will visit China this week for a ministerial meeting on regional security and defense cooperation, the defense ministry here said Tuesday.
Kim will be in China from Thursday to Saturday and hold talks with his Chinese counterpart, Liang Guanglie. Kim will also pay a courtesy call to Vice President Xi Jinping and visit Chinese air force and army units.
The ministry said it is the eighth defense ministerial talks between the two. It is also the first visit to China by a South Korean defense minister in two years.
“Ministers Kim and Liang will exchange their views on regional security, including North Korean issues, and will discuss strengthening their bilateral defense cooperation,” the ministry said in a statement. “We expect their talks will help upgrade the ‘strategic cooperative partnership’ of the two countries.”
The ministry also said the ministers will issue a joint press statement following their talks, the first of its kind following Seoul-Beijing defense talks.
Yonhap News Agency