Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi’s two-day visit to South Korea over the weekend for the first talks between the countries’ defense chiefs in 11 years was the latest sign of the neighbors’ vastly improved security ties.
Koizumi and South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back’s talks in Seoul on Sunday saw the two agree to continue a push to deepen bilateral exchanges and cooperation, including on artificial intelligence and other cutting-edge technologies, they said in a joint statement.
The pair also discussed ways to deepen broader defense cooperation, such as through exchanges between the two countries’ aerobatic teams, the Air Self-Defense Force’s Blue Impulse and South Korea’s Black Eagles, and via joint search and rescue exercises.
