South Korean Defence Minister calls on Antony

New Delhi, May 30: India and South Korea today discussed steps to further strengthen the existing bilateral defence relations, especially those relating to marine matters.

During a meeting here, Defence Minister A K Antony and his visiting S Korean counterpart Kim Jang Soo -- besides mutual matters-- deliberated upon various steps to strengthen their existing defence cooperation.

The measures which came up for discussions included training of Armed Forces personnel, exchange of visits and strengthening the mutual cooperation between the Coast Guard of the two countries and widening the scope of sea-lane communications, an official spokesperson said.

India and S Korea had signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Defence Logistics and Supplies in 2005 and this is the first ever visit by any Korean Defence Minister to India. It was expected to give a boost to the existing defence cooperation between the two Asian nations.

South Korea is a pioneer in shipbuilding and has a thriving Private Sector Defence Industry. Of late, India, too has embarked on the path of deeper involvement of the private sector in production of its defence needs.

Defence Minister Kim arrived here on May 28 on a four-day state visit to India during which he will also visit the Western Naval Command Headquarters at Mumbai.

UNI