President Yoon Suk Yeol stands subsequent to Polish President Andrzej Duda throughout their joint press briefing on the presidential workplace in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap
Two nations pledge to deepen cooperation in protection, vitality industries
By Anna J. Park
The presidents of South Korea and Poland strongly condemned the rising army cooperation between North Korea and Russia, which poses rising safety threats to the worldwide group.
Throughout their summit on the presidential workplace in Seoul, Thursday, President Yoon Suk Yeol and Polish President Andrzej Duda, who’s on a state go to to South Korea, criticized North Korea’s nuclear and missile provocations, in addition to the North’s regarding troop dispatch to Russia.
“We agreed that North Korea’s dispatch of troops to Russia, which immediately violates the U.N. Constitution and U.N. Safety Council resolutions, not solely threatens safety on the Korean Peninsula and in Europe, however can be a world provocation,” Yoon mentioned throughout a joint press convention after the summit.
“We as soon as once more reaffirmed that South Korea and Poland, as accountable members of the worldwide group who share frequent values, will proceed to face firmly collectively to contribute to worldwide peace and stability and uphold a rules-based order,” the South Korean president added.
Yoon mentioned South Korea will contemplate and implement obligatory measures step by step, relying on how the state of affairs surrounding North Korea’s troop deployment to Russia develops. He particularly emphasised that South Korea could undertake a extra versatile stance on its earlier coverage of not supplying deadly weapons to Ukraine if the army cooperation between North Korea and Russia intensifies and poses larger threats.
“If North Korea sends particular forces to the struggle in Ukraine on account of its cooperation with Russia, South Korea will look at obligatory measures to make sure safety on the Korean peninsula, whereas rising assist for Ukraine step-by-step. Moreover, whereas South Korea has adhered to the precept of circuitously supplying deadly weapons to Ukraine, we’d assessment that stance with larger flexibility relying on North Korean forces’ future actions,” Yoon mentioned in the course of the press briefing.
President Yoon Suk Yeol shakes fingers with Polish President Andrzej Duda earlier than their bilateral talks on the presidential workplace, Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap
The 2 leaders additionally reiterated their dedication to increasing cooperation on assist and reconstruction efforts for Ukraine.
Duda’s state go to to Seoul started Tuesday and can proceed till Friday. This marks the primary state go to by a Polish president to South Korea since 2013.
The Polish chief’s go to was a reciprocal journey following Yoon’s state go to to Poland in July of final yr. This summit represents the fourth dialogue between Yoon and Duda because the South Korean chief took workplace in 2022.
Throughout final yr’s summit, held to commemorate the tenth anniversary of a strategic partnership established in 2013, the 2 leaders pledged to reinforce their bilateral cooperation in protection, vitality, and excessive expertise, extending past financial ties.
Cooperation in protection, vitality, expertise
One other key pillar of their bilateral cooperation is protection, particularly within the commerce of weapons and protection tools.
“The 2 nations vowed to actively assist the profitable progress of protection cooperation, together with a follow-up implementation contract for K2 tanks, which is presently beneath negotiation with the aim of finalizing it inside the yr,” Yoon mentioned in the course of the press briefing.
The 2 leaders confirmed their dedication to making sure the graceful implementation of the largest-ever arms export contract to Poland, signed in 2022, value about $44.2 billion, which incorporates K2 tanks, K9 self-propelled howitzers, Chunmoo rocket programs and FA-50 fighter plane.
The Polish president additionally mentioned that as the highest commander of the Polish armed forces, he’s extremely glad with the army and protection trade cooperation with South Korea.
“At the moment, Poland is buying a considerable amount of high-quality South Korean weapons. One of many primary causes we determined to amass Korean-made weapons is that, over the previous 35 years, Poland has labored carefully with South Korea and has develop into well-acquainted with the superior high quality of its merchandise. I’ve additionally spoken immediately with Polish troopers who’re working South Korean weapons just like the K2 tanks, Chunmoo rocket programs, and K9 self-propelled howitzers. Their assessments replicate a really excessive regard for the standard of Korean-made weapons,” Duda mentioned throughout Thursday’s press convention.
President Yoon Suk Yeol and Polish President Andrzej Duda assessment an honor guard throughout an official welcome ceremony for Duda’s state go to to Korea on the garden in entrance of the presidential workplace in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap
As a part of efforts to deepen protection cooperation, Duda is scheduled to go to Korean protection firms — Hyundai Rotem and Hanwha Aerospace — on Friday.
In early September, roughly 30 South Korean protection companies, together with Hanwha, Hyundai Rotem, and Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), participated on this yr’s installment of the Worldwide Defence Trade Exhibition (MSPO), an annual army trade occasion held in Kielce, Poland.
The South Korean president additionally emphasised that each nations will set up an everyday consultative physique between their protection trade authorities to discover cooperation alternatives that may improve mutual safety and protection.
Moreover, each nations agreed to proceed efforts to strengthen cooperation within the areas of vitality safety and superior industries, pledging to speed up the transition to low-carbon and carbon-free vitality sources, similar to nuclear and renewable vitality.
Within the fields of transportation and infrastructure, they established favorable circumstances for South Korean firms to interact in Poland’s tasks, together with a high-speed rail initiative for the nation’s new airport.
South Korea is now the second-largest investor in Poland, and commerce between the 2 nations hit a document excessive for six consecutive years.
