South Korea’s Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back will travel to Saudi Arabia on Friday to attend the World Defense Show and to hold talks with top Saudi defense officials, Seoul’s Ministry of National Defense said Thursday.
Ahn will be accompanied by Air Force chief of staff Gen. Son Sug-rag.
During the trip, scheduled from Friday to Feb. 10, Ahn will meet with Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman Al Saud and Minister of the National Guard Abdullah bin Bandar Al Saud.
According to Seoul’s Defense Ministry, Ahn will seek to further strengthen Seoul-Riyadh relations as part of South Korea’s push to become one of the world’s top four defense exporters.
Ahn will also attend the World Defense Show, which is being held for the third time this year. Taking place every two years, the World Defense Show is one of the world’s largest defense fairs, according to the Defense Ministry.
This year, more than 700 defense manufacturers from 80 countries will attend the event. From Korea, 40 defense industry firms will be present at the show.
In addition, the South Korean Air Force’s 53rd Air Demonstration Group — known as the Black Eagles — will put on a display for the first time at a defense fair held in the Middle East.
cheesuk@heraldcorp.com
