Seoul, Hanoi agree to enhance cooperation in defense industry

South Korea and Vietnam have agreed to boost bilateral cooperation in the areas of military exchanges and defense industry, a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense said Monday.

During a visit to Hanoi, Defense Minister Cho Seong-Tae also agreed with his Vietnamese counterpart, Pham Van Tra, to hold defense ministers¡¯ talks on a regular basis, the spokesman said.

Minister Cho is the first South Korean defense minister to visit Vietnam since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. Cho invited his Vietnamese counterpart to visit Seoul next year.

The two ministers also agreed to sign a memorandum of understanding on promoting defense industry cooperation and exchanges among military schools.

To facilitate implementation of the accord, they decided to hold working-level talks in the near future, the spokesman added.

The two were learned to have discussed past history issues concerning South Korea¡¯s participation in the Vietnam War.