SEOUL, South Korea’s Navy chief embarked on a two-nation trip to the United States and Canada on Tuesday to strengthen military ties and arms industry cooperation, the Navy said.
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Yang Young-mo will arrive in the U.S. on the first leg of his tour, which includes stops in Washington, D.C., and Jacksonville, Florida.
During his stay in the U.S., Yang is scheduled to meet his U.S. counterpart, Adm. Lisa Franchetti, to discuss ways to bolster military ties and combined deterrence against North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats, the Navy said.
On Feb. 4, Yang will fly to the Canadian capital city of Ottawa to meet top military officials to discuss defense and arms industry cooperation between the two nations, it said. He will wrap up his nine-day trip Feb. 7.
South Korean companies have been seeking to expand their foothold in the Canadian maritime defense sector as the Royal Canadian Navy seeks to replace its aging fleet of Victoria-class submarines with the latest models.
In
November, Hanwha Ocean, a South Korean shipbuilder, signed a memorandum of understanding with four Canadian companies — CAE, J-Squared Technologies, Modest Tree and Des Nedhe — to cooperate on submarine-related technology and logistics solutions.
Source: Yonhap News Agency
