South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo will leave for the Middle East later Wednesday to inspect the nation's troops deployed there, his ministry announced.

Song is scheduled to visit the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Lebanon to meet the troops from Friday till Sunday.

It will be his first trip to the region since taking office in July.

He plans to "eat and sleep" with the South Korean soldiers to experience their service conditions in person and boost their morale, the ministry said.

Song will head first to the Akh Unit in the UAE. The 140-strong special forces have been stationed there since January 2011 to help train local soldiers.

The minister, a former Navy admiral, will then visit the Cheonghae Unit in Oman. The unit's 300 troops belong to multinational forces tasked with fighting pirates in Somali waters. The unit was born in 2009.

Song also plans to travel to Lebanon to meet the 330 soldiers of the 10-year-old Dongmyeong Unit deployed as UN peacekeepers.

He will also hold bilateral talks with the defense ministers of the three countries for consultations on strengthening military ties and defense industry cooperation, according to the ministry. (Yonhap)