South Korea‘s top naval commander and the head of the U.S. navy’s largest fleet on Friday discussed enhancing military exchange and defense cooperation, the Navy here said.

Adm. Choi Yun-hee, the South Korean Navy‘s chief of staff, met with U.S. Adm. Cecil D. Haney, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, at the South’s Busan Naval Operations Base, about 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul.

According to the Navy, the two admirals talked about strengthening exchanges between their navies and also bolstering their readiness posture ahead of major international events scheduled in South Korea this year.

“With the Nuclear Security Summit scheduled in March and Yeosu Expo from May to August, it‘s very important to maintain close cooperation between our navies,” Choi was quoted as saying by the Navy.

Choi also asked for the Pacific Fleet’s continued support for the South‘s efforts to improve its anti-submarine warfare capabilities and its maintenance skills for Aegis destroyers.

Haney, who took the helm of the Pacific Fleet in January this year, arrived in South Korea on Thursday. He has paid courtesy calls to Army Gen. Jung Seung-jo, South Korean chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; U.S. Army Gen. James D. Thurman, commander of the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command; and Sung Kim, the U.S. ambassador to South Korea.

Previously, Haney had been deputy chief of staff of plans, policies and requirements at the Pacific Fleet and deputy commander of the U.S. Strategic Command. (Yonhap News)