Kim Gyu-ha, Kim Gyeong-ryul to hold separate meetings with Japan's army, maritime chiefs of staff
Visits follow string of SDF leadership trips to Seoul, signaling expansion of defense ties
South Korea's army and navy chiefs of staff are working to visit Japan in mid-November for talks with Japan's Self-Defense Forces leadership, amid growing uncertainty over the security environment in East Asia and a broader expansion of bilateral defense cooperation across all three service branches.
Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun reported Sunday, citing South Korean and Japanese government officials, that Army Chief of Staff Kim Gyu-ha and Navy Chief of Staff Kim Gyeong-ryul are coordinating plans to travel to Japan in mid-November.
Kim Gyu-ha is expected to meet with Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Chief of Staff Arai Masayoshi, while Kim Gyeong-ryul is set to hold talks with Maritime Self-Defense Force Chief of Staff Saito Akira.
If the visits go ahead, they would constitute a reciprocal exchange following a series of trips to South Korea by Japan's Self-Defense Forces leadership.
Ground Self-Defense Force Chief Arai visited South Korea in September, and Maritime Chief Saito made a similar trip in April.
Air Self-Defense Force Chief of Staff Morita Takehiro also visited South Korea last month.
The Yomiuri said the two countries are sustaining defense cooperation across their armies, navies and air forces as the security environment grows increasingly serious, with concerns mounting over a potential weakening of US deterrence in East Asia.
sjy@heraldcorp.com
