Ministry of National Defense Republic of Korea

ROK-Romania defense ministerial talks

Two sides discuss ways to expand ROK-Romania cooperation in the areas of national defense and the arms industry

On the afternoon of September 23, Minister of National Defense Lee Jong-sup held ROK-Romania defense ministerial talks with his Romanian counterpart Vasile Dîncu, who was visiting the Republic of Korea to participate in the Defense Expo Korea (DX-Korea) 2022, and the two sides exchanged opinions on the international situation, as well as on bilateral cooperation in the areas of national defense and the arms industry.

Lee offered the assessment that the two countries have been deepening amicable relations in many different fields since the establishment of a strategic partnership in 2008, and hoped for the expansion of bilateral cooperation in the areas of national defense and the arms industry on the sidelines of the Romanian defense minister’s visit to the ROK.

Dîncu said that Romania is highly interested in security cooperation with the ROK, and is hoping to expand bilateral cooperation in the area of defense, including cyber security cooperation and military information exchanges, and in particular, to expand bilateral cooperation in the area of the arms industry to ensure mutual interests.

After the meeting, the two ministers signed the amendment to the ｢Letter of Intention (LOI) on the promotion of ROK-Romania defense cooperation)｣, and on the sidelines of the signing of the LOI, the two sides agreed to respond jointly to new supernational security threats, including cyber threats, between the two countries, and to work to conclude a defense cooperation agreement as early as possible.

Meanwhile, Dîncu welcomed the ROK’s efforts to strengthen cooperation with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and expressed his hope that the ROK will be strengthening multilateral cooperation through NATO and Romania, a member of NATO, as the ROK is one of NATO’s important partner nations in the Indo-Pacific region.

Lee said that our government is making a bid to host World Expo 2030 in Busan and called for Romania’s support for its bid, noting the countries' shared values of democracy and rules-based international order. In response, Dîncu said he is well aware of the ROK’s remarkable economic and cultural capabilities, and promised to convey the ROK’s position to the related departments after his return to Romania.