Defense chief to visit Saudi Arabia for arms trade show, ministerial talks

▲ South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back (L) poses for a photo with Abdullah bin Bandar Al Saud, Saudi Arabia's minister of the National Guard, during their meeting in Riyadh on Sept. 21, 2025, in this photo released by the South Korean defense ministry. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

defense chief-Saudi Arabia

Defense chief to visit Saudi Arabia for arms trade show, ministerial talks

SEOUL, Feb. 5 (Yonhap) -- Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back will visit Saudi Arabia this week to attend a major defense exhibition and hold meetings with his counterparts from Riyadh, the ministry said Thursday, as South Korea seeks to boost arms exports.

As part of his five-day trip that begins Friday, Ahn will attend the biennial World Defense Show in Riyadh, where some 40 South Korean defense firms will showcase their arms products, according to the ministry.

He will also hold talks with Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman Al Saud and Minister of the National Guard Abdullah bin Bandar Al Saud, it added.

Ahn is expected to discuss ways to deepen bilateral arms cooperation and promote South Korean arms products as Saudi Arabia seeks to foster its own defense industry and modernize the military.

He will be accompanied by Gen. Son Sug-rag, Air Force chief of staff, who will also attend the trade show and hold talks with his Saudi Arabian and British counterparts on the margins of the event.

Ahn's upcoming trip comes five months after he visited the Middle Eastern country in September to discuss bilateral defense and arms industry cooperation.

South Korea seeks to become the world's fourth-largest arms exporter by 2030 to account for 6 percent of the global market.

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