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| South Korean Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin, left, and his Thai counterpart Prawit Wongsuwon shake hands before the ministerial meeting on April 1 at the ministry in Yongsan, Seoul. |
Two ministers discussed measures to beefing up defense exchanges, including arms trade, and exchanged views related to regional security matters.
Wongsuwon visited South Korea on April 30 at the invitation of Kim. During his four-day stay, Thai defense minister met South Korean military leaders and visited major defense firms.
Thailand's defense chief took office in 2008, after serving top army positions, including Army Chief of Staff.
Thailand is South Korea's traditional ally that had sent a total of 6,326 troops, including nine warships and air carriers, during the 1950-53 Korean War. A total of 129 Thai soldiers were killed. Four have gone missing and 1,139 had been wounded.
In 1991, two countries signed a memorandum of understanding on arms exchanges and since then both have been reinforcing defense ties by holding regular meetings related to arms trade.
RoK MoD