South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Kyu-baek held talks with Saudi Arabian Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman Al Saud in Riyadh on Wednesday.
During the meeting, Ahn proposed developing mutually beneficial and future-oriented cooperation in defense and defense industry as a key partner for "Saudi Vision 2030." He also invited Khalid to visit South Korea within this year.
Khalid responded that Saudi Arabia and South Korea share a future-oriented strategic partnership, expressing hope that Korea's superior technology and experience will help strengthen Saudi Arabia's defense capabilities.
The two countries signed a memorandum of understanding on defense research and development cooperation between Korea's Agency for Defense Development (ADD) and Saudi Arabia's defense research institute on the occasion of the defense ministerial meeting.
Both sides agreed to establish a foundation for building a joint cooperation framework for mutual benefit in areas including R&D, defense technology, and systems innovation.
Ahn also visited exhibition booths of Korean defense companies at the third World Defense Show (WDS) being held in Riyadh, where he encouraged company officials and listened to voices from the defense export field.