Acting Minister of National Defense Kim Seon Ho (left) on Feb. 19 hosts talks with visiting Cameroonian Minister of Defense Joseph Beti Assomo at the Ministry of National Defense in Seoul's Yongsan-gu District. (Ministry of National Defense)

By Kang Gahui

The Ministry of National Defense has concluded a defense cooperation agreement with Cameroon, the first of its kind with an African nation.

Acting Minister of National Defense Kim Seon Ho on Feb. 19 hosted talks with his visiting Cameroonian counterpart Joseph Beti Assomo at the Ministry of National Defense in Seoul's Yongsan-gu District. They discussed expanding bilateral cooperation in exchanges in military education and the defense industry.

At the meeting, both sides signed an agreement on defense cooperation to set the institutional foundation for raising such collaboration to the next level.

The two ministers agreed on the need for a unified international response to North Korea's nuclear and missile provocations and pledged expanded defense cooperation and modernization of information systems for defense intelligence.

Calling Cameroon a key partner in Central Africa, Acting Minister Kim said he hoped for higher defense cooperation including the launch of a Cameroonian embassy in Korea and deployment of military attaches.

He also pledged continued cooperation in raising Cameroon's defense capabilities, citing Korea's experience in building a high-tech military information and communication network.

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