Defense chief to join ASEAN-led security meeting in Malaysia
Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back speaks during an interview with Yonhap News Agency in Seoul, Oct. 17. Yonhap
Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back will visit Kuala Lumpur this week to attend an annual ministerial meeting of defense chiefs led by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the defense ministry said Thursday.
This year's ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting (ADMM)-Plus, scheduled for Saturday, will bring together ministerial-level defense officials of 11 ASEAN countries and eight others, including the United States, China and Japan, according to the ministry.
In the meeting, Ahn plans to ask for support for Seoul's efforts to establish peace and seek denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and propose measures to advance practical defense cooperation between Korea and ASEAN nations.
He will also hold bilateral meetings with counterparts from countries including Japan, China, Australia, Malaysia and Thailand on the margins of the event to discuss defense exchange and cooperation, the ministry said.