Seoul's defense chief to seek closer ties with Turkey

By Alex Jensen

SEOUL (AA) -- South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo is aiming to improve ties with Ankara as he is set to depart for a visit to Turkey on Sunday, his ministry said Thursday.

Local news agency Yonhap reported that he will "discuss ways to boost cooperation in the defense industry".

Turkey has already purchased K-9 artillery weapons from South Korea along with KT-1 trainer jets -- the South's first entirely indigenous aircraft.

Seoul and Ankara also just saw their upgraded bilateral free trade agreement come into effect this week after it was expanded to include the services and investment sectors.

Song will stay in Turkey until Wednesday, following up on the defense cooperation agreement reached by leaders Moon Jae-in and Recep Tayyip Erdogan during the Turkish president's stay in Seoul in May.

The last visit by a South Korean defense minister to Turkey was a decade ago.

Song's week-long travels will additionally take him to India.

Meanwhile, his trip will allow him to temporarily escape intense scrutiny over a domestic scandal.

He is being forced to reform the Defense Security Command because of public anger that the ministry's intelligence unit was preparing for the possibility of martial law when South Korea's streets were regularly filled with anti-government protests ahead of ex-President Park Geun-hye's expulsion from office last year.