▲ South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Chairman Gen. Kim Seung-kyum (R) speaks with Gen. Micael Byden, the Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces, during their talks at the JCS headquarters in Seoul on May 24, 2023, in this photo released by the JCS. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

S Korea-Sweden-defense talks

Top S. Korean, Swedish generals discuss regional security, bilateral cooperation

SEOUL, May 24 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Chairman Gen. Kim Seung-kyum held talks with the visiting top Swedish general Wednesday to discuss regional security and bilateral military cooperation, Kim's office said.

Kim and Gen. Micael Byden, the Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces, touched on a range of security issues, including North Korea's military provocations and the ongoing war in Ukraine.

They concurred that the North's military provocations in the past were "clear" violations of U.N. Security Council resolutions and pose "grave" threats to not only the Korean Peninsula but also the international security environment, the JCS said in a press release.

Kim asked for Sweden's support for the efforts toward the North's "complete" denuclearization, such as the implementation of sanctions.

The pair also voiced concerns over the continuation of the war in Ukraine, and agreed that South Korea and Sweden should support the efforts to establish peace and stability in the war-torn nation.

South Korea and Sweden have held longtime defense ties, as the latter dispatched a field hospital unit and some 1,100 medical personnel during the 1950-53 Korean War, according to the JCS.

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