Saudi defense official to visit Korea this week
Saudi Arabia's Assistant Defense Minister Talal bin Abdullah Al-Otaibi, front right, signs a memorandum of understanding for defense industry cooperation with Korea in Riyadh, Feb. 4, provided by Defense Acquisition Program Administration. Yonhap
A senior Saudi Arabian defense official will visit Korea this week to examine key homegrown weapons systems, sources said Wednesday, amid growing bilateral defense industry cooperation.
Talal bin Abdullah Al-Otaibi, Saudi Arabia's assistant minister of defense, was set to arrive in Korea on Wednesday for a three-day visit, according to the sources from the defense industry and relevant authorities.
During the trip, the official is expected to be given a tour of major Korean defense products, including the KF-21 fighter jet under development, the mid-range surface-to-air missile block II (M-SAM II) system and the 3,000-ton Dosan Ahn Changho submarine.
The visit comes after Korean defense company LIG Nex1 signed a $3.2 billion deal to supply 10 M-SAM II batteries to Saudi Arabia last November.
Last month, Defense Minister Shin Won-sik visited the kingdom for talks on defense industry cooperation and explained Seoul's plans for a next-generation fighter jet in response to Saudi Arabia's interest in such efforts.
Korea is currently developing the KF-21 without the stealth capabilities of a fifth-generation fighter jet, such as the F-35A, although there are further upgrades in mind to ultimately build a sixth-generation fighter with advanced capabilities.
Separately, Iraq's Defense Minister Thabet Muhammad Al-Abbasi is expected to visit Korea next week for talks on defense cooperation, following visits by Iraqi military officials earlier this month. (Yonhap)