Korea Overseas Information Service, Defense Minister Yoon Kwang-ung made a courtesy call on Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Jan. 23 after holding a ministerial meeting with his Indonesian counterpart, Juwono Sudarsono.
At the meeting with President Yudhoyono, Minister Yoon called upon Indonesia to support South Korea's efforts to peacefully resolve the nuclear standoff on the Korean Peninsula and requested mutual cooperation in the field of defense industry.
Meanwhile, President Yudhoyono, expressing his willingness to play a positive role in resolving the North Korean nuclear issue, stressed the importance of establishing a strategic partnership between the two countries in various fields including economy, technology, defense, education and joint investment.
Indonesia's relations with North Korea have been close since the Sukarno administration, and last year former Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri visited Pyongyang twice to discuss the stalled North Korean nuclear issue.
At the meeting with his Indonesian counterpart, Minister Yoon confirmed the friendly relationship between the two countries, exchanging opinions and ideas for military innovation needed to cope with changing situations both at home and abroad.
Minister Yoon left Indonesia on Jan. 24 for Manila, where he was scheduled to meet with his Philippine counterpart Defense Minister Avelino J. Cruz.
After his first official visit to the Philippines, where he will also meet with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Minister Yoon will visit the U.S. Pacific Command in Hawaii later this month to discuss regional security conditions and Washington's current military policies.
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