South Korea, India agree to boost defence cooperation

South Korea and India agreed Friday to deepen security ties and boost cooperation in defense projects, Yonhap news agency reported.

The agreement was made at a meeting here between South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo and his Indian counterpart, Manohar Parrikar.

"(They) exchanged their assessment on the situation of the Korean Peninsula and the region and discussed pending issues such as how to work closely for defense programs," the S. Korean Ministry of National Defense said in a release.

The two sides also dealt with "ways to promote the bilateral cooperative mechanism by facilitating exchanges of high-level officials and regular policy consultation bodies."

In 2010, South Korea and India forged a strategic partnership aimed at bolstering bilateral ties in economics, diplomacy and culture, and signed the free trade pact called the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.