S. Korea, Sweden discuss promoting defense ties

The defense ministers of South Korea and Sweden held talks in Seoul on Tuesday to promote bilateral military cooperation and exchanges, officials said. Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin and his Swedish counterpart Sten Tolgfors, who is on a four-day visit to Seoul, also exchanged views on regional security issues, including North Korea, officials at Seoul's defense ministry said. In an opening remark, Kim thanked Sweden for its support of a multinational investigation last year that blamed North Korea for sinking one of South Korea's warships, the Cheonan, and its role as a member of the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission at the Demilitarized Zone dividing the two Koreas. "On behalf of the Korean people, I would like to express gratitude for Sweden's support for the international investigation into the sinking of the Cheonan," Kim told Tolgfors. Forty-six South Korean sailors were killed in the North's torpedo attack, but Pyongyang still denies the accusation. Sweden was one of first nations that sent medical personnel to support South Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War, which was ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.