Joint U.S.-South Korea defense technology group holds 'high-level' talks

A joint U.S.-South Korea defense technology strategy cooperation group held its first “high-level” talks in Washington this week, according to the Pentagon.

The July 26 meeting, which follows “working-level talks” held in March, included officials from the Defense Department, the State Department and South Korea's defense and foreign affairs ministries who discussed “the vital intersection of foreign and national security policy on defense technology cooperation,” according to a July 26 Pentagon statement.

Hwang In-moo, the vice minister of national defense, and Lee Tae-ho, the ministry of foreign affairs' deputy minister for economic affairs, co-chaired the meeting for the South Korean delegation, while Amb. David Shear, performing the duties of the principal deputy undersecretary of defense for policy, and Rose Gottemoeller, the undersecretary of state for arms control and international security affairs, co-chaired the meeting for the United States.

The South Korean delegation delivered briefings on their nation's defense technology security policy, while the U.S. delegation “offered an overview of its conventional arms transfer and regional defense trade policies,” according to the Pentagon.

“The two sides concurred on the need for regular information-sharing on these issues and decided to continue to utilize the DTSCG to advance policy and strategic discussion on technology security, foreign policy, and defense technology cooperation,” the statement continued.

The next round of high-level talks have been scheduled for 2017.