Parrikar visits South Korea to boost defence ties

In a bid to boost defence ties with South Korea, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar reached Seoul on Thursday.

On his first official visit to South Korea, Parrikar will co-chair the India-RoK (Republic of Korea) Defence Ministerial meeting with his Korean counterpart Gen. Han Min-Koo on Friday, an official statement said.

Parrikar is accompanied by the defence secretary and senior Indian military and civilian officials from the defence ministry and an Indian defence industry delegation.

According to defence ministry, during this three-day visit, Parrikar will hold extensive discussions on the entire gamut of the bilateral defence relationship and regional and global issues of mutual interest.

Officials said both sides will "identify ways to upgrade the defence relationship".

The defence minister will also meet the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Choi Yun-hee, Minister Chang Myoung-Jin of the Korean Defence Acquisition Program Administration, and National Security Adviser Kim Kwan-Jin.

Parrikar's South Korea visit comes after a recent visit to Japan focused on boosting defence ties.

The move is being seen as an attempt by India to create a grouping to halt China's growing aggressive stance in the region.