SEOUL, Sept. 29 (UPI) -- Kazakhstan and South Korean are deepening their military ties.
South Korean Defense Minister Kim Tae-young and his visiting Kazakh counterpart Adilbek Dzhaksybekov agreed to deepen military cooperation between the countries in a number of areas.
The two ministers agreed to broaden cooperation in military personnel exchanges, regularizing working-level defense talks as well as weapons development and procurement, Yonhap news agency reported Wednesday.
On Tuesday Dzhaksybekov arrived in for a four-day official visit. Besides the bilateral military discussions Dzhaksybekov's agenda included visiting South Korean defense contractors and military installations.
During his discussions with Dzhaksybekov, Kim expressed his government's gratitude for Kazakhstan's political support for a multinational investigation into the sinking of the South Korean warship Cheonan on March 26 off the country's west coast near Baengnyeong Island in the Yellow Sea. Of the Cheonan's 104 personnel, 46 seamen died in the incident.
The South Korean government blames the sinking on an attack by North Korea, which Pyongyang has strenuously denied.
