M. Majer: We will support more intense defence ties with the Republic of Korea through a Memorandum of Understanding

The Slovak Ministry of Defence (SVK MOD) and its counterpart Ministry of National Defence of the Republic of Korea (ROK MND) are in the process of drafting a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to enable the development of bilateral defence links and cooperation between both countries, Deputy Defence Minister Marian Majer confirmed after hosting a Korean delegation led by Deputy Minister for Political Affairs Yeo Seung Bae of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea.

Deputy Defence Minister Marian Majer said: “The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding will adjust the terms of cooperation in the political-military sphere so as to enable, for example, consultations on defence policy-related issues, the exchange of defence expertise and information, military education and training, the support for defence industry cooperation, military technical collaboration and humanitarian aid.” The MOD's ambition is to sign the MOU with the ROK MND as early as in 2022.

At the bilateral meeting with the ROK delegation members, Marian Majer addressed, among others, military cyber defence as a possible future avenue of cooperation. In light of its military and political anchorage as well as economic and technological potential, the Republic of Korea represents a prospective partner on cyber defence and cyber security for Slovakia. Partnering in this field with the ROK MND may lead to an even better understanding, detection and assessment of cyber attacks.

The ROK delegation, received today by Deputy Defence Minister Marian Majer, included Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Slovakia His Excellency Mr Lee Byeongdo, Director of the Central Europe Division of the European Affairs Bureau Chun Woo Sung, and 2nd Secretary of the Central Europe Division of the European Affairs Bureau Yum Seung Kyu.