Minister Ahn Gyu-baek of the Ministry of National Defense met with Gilbert Teodoro, the Philippine Minister of National Defense, on the 8th at the Seoul Security Dialogue (SDD) to discuss regional situations and cooperation in defense and defense industries.
According to the Ministry of National Defense, Minister Ahn expressed gratitude that the Philippines was the first Asian country to participate in the Korean War and is currently a member of the United Nations Command. The two ministers agreed to expand the strategic partnership established last year into the defense sector. They also appreciated the participation of Korean corporations in the Philippines' military modernization projects, including the second contract for the FA-50 signed in June this year, contributing to enhancing the Philippines' security capabilities.
On that day, Vice Minister Lee Doo-hee of the Ministry of National Defense held meetings with the Deputy Ministers of Defense of Turkey and Finland in the afternoon. In the meeting with Deputy Minister Musa Heybet of Turkey, they agreed to enhance cooperation in all areas of defense and defense industries, including military training, information sharing, high-level exchanges, and technological cooperation.
Vice Minister Lee requested the support of Turkey, a member of the United Nations Command, for Korea's policy on establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula and denuclearizing North Korea. He further evaluated the defense cooperation between the two countries, which expanded following K9 self-propelled howitzer exports since 2017, during the meeting with Esa Pulkkinen, the Deputy Minister of Defense of Finland, and agreed to strengthen their cooperative relationship moving forward.