Thailand seeks cooperation with South Korea in bid to upgrade armed forces
Defence Minister Sutin Klungsang discussed bilateral cooperation in the arms industry with his South Korean counterpart while on an official visit to the East Asian country, which wrapped up on Saturday.
At the meeting with South Korea’s Defence Minister Shin Won-sik, Sutin expressed Thailand’s interest in cooperating with the Defence Acquisition Programme Administration (DAPA) to help upgrade Thailand’s defence industry, a source said.
“The Defence Ministry is particularly interested in cooperating with the DAPA, and we expect mutual benefit for both countries in promoting the defence industry,” Sutin was quoted as saying.
Sutin praised the high potential of South Korea’s defence industry, with DAPA playing a key role. He pointed out that both countries have defence cooperation, including Thailand’s purchase of frigate and combat aircraft from South Korea, as well as South Korea’s participation in the annual Cobra Gold military exercise hosted by Thailand.
The DAPA is an executive branch of the South Korean government that was established in 2006 under the Ministry of National Defence to oversee projects on the improvement of defence capability, the procurement of munitions and the fostering of defence industries.
The Thai defence chief, who has been on an official visit to South Korea from March 27-30, met Shin at the Ministry of National Defence in Seoul on Thursday.
During their meeting, the South Korean defence minister expressed gratitude to Thailand’s Little Tigers battalion who helped defend the South in the 1950-53 Korean War. He said their bravery resulted in peace in the Korean peninsula and helped South Korea prosper, the source quoted him as saying.
Thailand was among the 22 countries that sent troops and other forms of aid to support South Korea under the United Nations flag during the Korean War.
South Korean media outlet KBS World reported that Shin also expressed gratitude to Thailand and its military for its continuous contribution towards peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.
Shin also briefed Sutin on South Korea’s weapons systems and said he hoped South Korean companies could take part in Thailand’s military modernisation project, Yonhap News Agency said.
Sutin, meanwhile, said his trip was aimed at exploring opportunities for possible arms industry cooperation, which included visits to major defence companies, Yonhap quoted the South Korean defence ministry as saying.
The South Korean defence chief also invited Sutin to participate in the Seoul Defence Dialogue in September and the defence ministerial meeting of UN Command member states to be hosted by South Korea in November.
The Thai defence minister also visited the UN Command, the multinational military force established to support South Korea during and after the Korean War, and was welcomed by its commander, General Paul LaCamera.
The American general thanked Thailand for its continued commitment to dispatching soldiers to work at the UN Command. Sutin met the Thai soldiers stationed at the command, before thanking the commander for supporting and training them.
