South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-baek and French Armed Forces Minister Catherine Colonna held bilateral defense talks at the Ministry of National Defense building in Yongsan, Seoul, on Thursday afternoon, discussing regional security conditions and ways to strengthen defense and defense industry cooperation between the two countries, the ministry said.
During the meeting, both ministers shared the view that uncertainty in the international security environment is growing due to the recent situation in the Middle East and the prolonged Russia-Ukraine war. They agreed to strengthen coordination between the two countries for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the Indo-Pacific region.
Minister Ahn emphasized that North Korea's advancing nuclear and missile capabilities and illegal military cooperation between North Korea and Russia pose a serious challenge to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the international community. He urged France's continued interest and support for Seoul's efforts toward denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the establishment of lasting peace.
The two sides praised the expansion of practical military training and space cooperation, including the PEGASE air force exercise, reciprocal naval port calls and participation in the SparteX international space exercise. They agreed to continue cooperating in future security domains going forward.
The ministers also acknowledged that South Korea and France are defense industry cooperation partners possessing world-class technology and competitiveness, and agreed to expand related cooperation.