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Arms agency chief discusses defense cooperation in Saudi Arabia

Published: 14 May. 2025, 13:01 Updated: 14 May. 2025, 20:01

Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) Minister Seok Jong-gun, left, and Saleh bin Abdulrahman Al-Harbi, chief of staff of the Saudi Arabian National Guard, pose for a photo during their talks in Saudi Arabia, in this photo provided by DAPA on May 14. [YONHAP]

The chief of Korea's state arms procurement agency met senior defense officials in Saudi Arabia to discuss ways to cooperate on the modernization of the Middle East country's armed forces, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said Wednesday.

DAPA Minister Seok Jong-gun visited Saudi Arabia for a two-day visit earlier this week as part of Seoul's efforts to diversify its arms exports to countries in the Middle East and Latin America.

During the visit, Seok held talks with Saleh bin Abdulrahman Al-Harbi, chief of staff of the National Guard, and briefed him on Seoul's efforts to strengthen arms exports as well as nurture Riyadh's own arms industry capacity, according to DAPA.

The two officials concurred that bilateral efforts to modernize Saudi Arabia's National Guard are proceeding smoothly and vowed to achieve tangible results by the end of the year, it added.

Seok also held talks with Ahmad Abdulaziz Al-Ohali, governor of Saudi Arabia's General Authority for Military Industries, and agreed to form a working group with DAPA to discuss establishing plans for localization.

The DAPA chief said the visit, which came just four months after his trip to the country in January, helped establish circumstances for strengthening bilateral arms cooperation and developing Saudi Arabia into a Middle Eastern hub for arms industry cooperation.

Korea aims to carve out a 5 percent share of the global arms export market by 2027 to become the world's fourth-largest defense exporter.

Yonhap