Defense chief Lee focuses on arms talks in Poland

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Defense chief Lee focuses on arms talks in Poland

Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup pays his respects at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Warsaw on Wednesday, shortly after arriving in Poland for a three-day visit to deepen defense industry cooperation. [DEFENSE MINISTRY]

Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup pays his respects at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Warsaw on Wednesday, shortly after arriving in Poland for a three-day visit to deepen defense industry cooperation. [DEFENSE MINISTRY]

 
Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup visited a Polish arms manufacturer in Warsaw on Wednesday, the first day of his three-day trip highlighting deepening security ties between Korea and Poland, Korean military officials said.
 
Lee arrived in the country on Wednesday for talks with Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak, whose country emerged a major buyer of Korean weapons systems when it signed contracts worth $5.78 billion for K-2 battle tanks, K-9 self-propelled howitzers and FA-50 light attack aircraft from Korea in August last year.
 
Lee visited Warsaw’s state-owned Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa (PGZ) and met with Sebastian Chwalek, the president of the PGZ management board, according to Korea’s defense ministry.
 
Chwalek explained to Lee the development status of PGZ’s major weapons systems. Chwalek, Lee and other officials from the two countries’ defense ministries and weapons companies discussed bilateral industrial cooperation.
 
“I hope this will serve as an opportunity for defense industry cooperation between Korea and Poland, to build mutual trust and move towards the future,” Lee was quoted as saying during the meeting.
 
Lee also paid his respects at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Warsaw on Wednesday.
 
During Lee’s visit, Hanwha Aerospace announced it had signed a contract with Polish defense company WB Group to equip Hanwha’s Chunmoo multiple rocket launch system (MLRS) with WB’s Polish command and control systems to meet Polish operational requirements.
 
Hanwha is the manufacturer of the K9 self-propelled howitzer, which was also part of the large weapons package purchased by Poland last year.
 
The Korean defense minister’s trip to Poland comes after a visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where he held talks with his Emirati counterpart, Mohammed Ahmed Al Bowardi.
 
The pair met in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday to discuss bilateral cooperation in the defense industry, cybersecurity and other areas, Seoul’s defense ministry said Wednesday.
 
At their meeting, Lee and Al Bowardi said the two countries’ recent memorandums of understanding (MOU) on strategic defense industry cooperation and the development of a multirole transport aircraft marked a “great” milestone in their cooperation.
 
The two MOUs were signed during Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s summit last month with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
 
Lee and Al Bowardi agreed to cooperate on identifying weapons systems that can be jointly developed and produced by the two countries and to explore areas for joint research.
 
The UAE defense minister called the South Korean military contingent based in the country — known as the Akh unit — a “symbol” of bilateral cooperation with a ”big” role in reinforcing the UAE military's combat capabilities.
 
The Akh unit — named after the Arabic word for “brother” — has carried out various missions in the UAE, including training Emirati troops and protecting Korean nationals in regional emergencies since it launched in 2011.
 
Following the talks, Lee visited a UAE military unit in Abu Dhabi that operates the South Korean-made Cheongung II mid-range surface-to-air missile system.
 
Hanwha Systems CEO Eoh Sung-chul told reporters that the UAE has expressed interest in South Korea's long-range surface-to-air missile (L-SAM) interceptors, which are currently under development.
 
Seoul has been pushing to develop a L-SAM interception system to destroy incoming missiles in their terminal phase altitude of 50 to 60 kilometers (31 to 37 miles).
 
 
 

BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]
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