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S. Korea looks to expand defense partnership with Middle Eastern countries, following arms deal with Saudi Arabia K-방산, “사우디에 천궁-Ⅱ 수출, 시작 불과‥더 큰 성과 나올 것“ After securing a major arms deal with Saudi Arabia, South Korea is now looking to further expand its defense partnership with Middle Eastern countries. That's according to Korea's defense minister, having returned from the region. Our foreign affairs correspondent Bae Eun-ji with more. Earlier this week, South Korea announced it will be exporting a medium-range surface-to-air missile system to Saudi Arabia called “Cheongung-II,“ as part of a 3-point-2 billion dollar deal. The deal was signed last November, between the South Korean defense firm LIG-Nex1 and the Saudi Arabian Defense Ministry, but had been kept confidential under the terms of the agreement. Cheongung-II, also known as M-SAM II, is designed to intercept ballistic missiles at an altitude between 15 to 40 kilometers above ground. It is also known as the “Korean Patriot,“ as it's considered to be similar to the U.S. Patriot missile system. The deal was unveiled while South Korea's defense minister Shin Won-shik was on a visit to the Middle East. After wrapping up a week-long visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, Shin said Thursday that South Korea hopes to pursue a long-term “win-win partnership“ with Middle Eastern countries in terms of defense cooperation. “I discussed various projects on defense cooperation other than the M-SAM II, with the countries I visited. I cannot disclose specific details, but I can tell you that there was meaningful progress during the latest visit.“ Speaking to reporters, he expressed hopes for more arms deals with these countries, noting that the Cheongung-II deal is “just the beginning“ and that there's more to come later this year. He also said Saudi officials expressed great interest in Korea's plan to develop a 6th-generation fighter jet, based on the locally developed fighter jet, the KF-21. Last week, South Korea and Saudi Arabia signed a memorandum of understanding on weapons systems research and development, raising speculation that the two countries may jointly develop the next-generation fighter jet. But a defense ministry official made it clear on Thursday that the two sides have not yet agreed on joint development. Bae Eun-ji, Arirang News. #SouthKorea #SaudiArabia #Defense #Defense_partnership #대한민국 #사우디아라비아 #방산 #천궁 #요격_미사일 #Arirang_News #아리랑뉴스 📣 Facebook : 📣 Twitter : 📣 Homepage : 2024-02-08, 18:00 (KST)
