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S. Korea, NATO hold military staff talks over defense cooperation

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By Yonhap
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  • Updated KST
Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Chairman Adm. Kim Myung-soo, second from right, holds phone talks with top commanding officers at the JCS' combat control room. Courtesy of the JCS

Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Chairman Adm. Kim Myung-soo, second from right, holds phone talks with top commanding officers at the JCS' combat control room. Courtesy of the JCS

South Korea and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) held their third military staff talks in Seoul on Monday to discuss ways to strengthen their defense cooperation, the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.

Maj. Gen. Kwon Young-min, chief of the directorate of strategic planning at the JCS, and Brig. Gen. Eray Unguder of the Turkish army, deputy director of NATO's cooperative security division, led the talks, the JCS said.

During the meeting, the two sides assessed the security situation on the Korean Peninsula and discussed ways to enhance their military exchange and cooperation.

The two sides also reaffirmed the need for a joint response by the international community against North Korea's military threats, such as Pyongyang's deepening military alignment with Russia and advancing military development.

The annual military staff talks were launched in February 2023 and have taken place in Seoul and Brussels. Next year's meeting will be held in Brussels.