Defense Minister Holds Talks with Saudi Counterpart, Attends World Defense Show, and Meets with Korean Defense SMEs / Credit: Ministry of National Defense
On February 9 (Monday) (local time), Defense Minister An Kyoo-baek participated in the World Defense Show (WDS) in Saudi Arabia, where he held bilateral talks with Saudi Minister of State for Defense, Abdulla bin Bandar Al Saud.
Minister An emphasized that this second meeting, following last year’s discussions, has further strengthened the partnership between the two nations. He stressed the importance of fostering mutually beneficial defense and defense industry cooperation based on deep trust and respect.
The Saudi Minister welcomed An’s visit and proposed expanding defense cooperation across various domains, including personnel exchanges, military education, and medical support. He also expressed interest in building on the existing momentum for collaboration in the defense industry.
Additionally, Minister An held a meeting with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) participating in the WDS. The business representatives requested △ active government support to expand defense exports, △ assistance for SMEs in entering foreign markets, and △ regulatory improvements to facilitate export growth, in order to advance towards becoming one of the top 4 defense industry powerhouses.
In response to the companies’ requests, the Ministry of Defense promised to actively support defense exports by △ enhancing promotion of K-defense products at the government level, developing national support measures to expand SMEs’ access to export markets, and △ implementing expedited export approval procedures.
Minister An emphasized, “As a result of our defense SMEs accumulating technology and consistently maintaining quality in the field, K-weapon systems are spreading across the five oceans and six continents, writing a new history for the Republic of Korea’s defense industry.” He added, “To ensure these achievements lead to continuous growth, we will create a defense industry ecosystem where SMEs and large corporations can coexist and prosper together, and continue to implement policies and support that can be felt in the field.” [End]
Most Commented