Korea inks MOU with Brazil to bolster cooperation in defense industry

Seok Jong-gun, left, the minister of Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), signs an agreement with Brazil's Heraldo Luiz Rodrigues, secretary of defense products, ministry of defense, in Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of DAPA

The state arms procurement agency on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Brazil's defense ministry to bolster bilateral cooperation in the defense industry.

The agreement was signed between Seok Jong-gun, minister of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, and Heraldo Luiz Rodrigues, Brazil's secretary of defense, during a signing ceremony earlier in the day.

The MOU centered on facilitating cooperation on research, development and the purchase of defense supplies, expanding industrial cooperation and strengthening personnel exchanges between the two nations.

Under the deal, the two countries will cooperate in areas, including ground, sea, aerospace and satellite sectors, and share their mutual experiences in the field of advanced research and development of defense technology.

As the first Latin American country to establish diplomatic relations with Korea in 1959, Brazil is both a major economic and defense player, producing leading military aircraft. It is home to one of the world's leading aerospace companies, Embraer.