Chairman of JCS to visit China

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Cho Young-Kil will pay an official visit to China for the first time by a Korean JCS chairman.

According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Sunday, a military delegation comprised of 9 members, including JCS Chairman Cho Young-Kil, the Strategic Planning Headquarters chief Kang Sin-Yuck (army lieutenant general) and the Personnel and Munitions Headquarters chief Kim Moo-Woong (vice admiral of the navy), will visit China from August 28 until September 4 on the invitation by Fu Quanyou, chief of staff of China¡¯s People¡¯s Liberation Army.

Chairman Cho`s visit to China follows the agreement to have military personnel of both countries pay exchange visits in order to increase mutual military exchanges and cooperation made at the defense ministers` meeting between Minister of Defense Cho Seung-Tae and Chinese Defense Minister Chi Haotian held in Beijing in August.

Chairman Cho`s delegation will hold a meeting with Fu and other military leaders including defense minister Chi and will visit major units of China`s army, navy, and air force. Especially, it is planned that chairman Cho will propose the regularization of the meeting by the chairmen of the joint chiefs of staff of both countries, in order to expand the military exchanges and the cooperation between the two countries, the cooperation for preventing accidents on the sea and in the air, and joint marine organization exercises. Chairman Chi also will ask for a visit to Korea by chairman of the chiefs of staff Fu.

Hwang Yoo-Seong yshwang@donga.com