KUALA LUMPUR, Apr 27 – Malaysia and the Republic of Korea today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to form a formal cooperation in the field of defence.

Senior Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said the matter was realized through a bilateral meeting held in a hybrid manner with Korean Defence Minister Suh Wook.

“This bilateral meeting is very meaningful and brings important benefits to both countries, especially in the context of defence diplomacy through the signing of an MoU between Malaysia and the Republic of Korea on cooperation in the field of defence.

“It is very gratifying because the efforts towards this MoU have been ongoing for the past 3 years and finally it can be signed today,” he said in a statement, on Wednesday.

Hishammuddin explained that the MoU would not only be a legal instrument that would further strengthen defence cooperation between the two countries, but would also be a key reference document in interactions, programs and joint activities of the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) with the Korean Armed Forces.

“It is also a significant development as previously the defence relationship between Malaysia and Korea did not have a formal understanding, thus becoming a constraint to further enhance defence cooperation.

“The MoU will also be a marker to strengthen bilateral defence ties and for the armed forces of the two countries to work more closely.

“This is in line with the ongoing commitment of Malaysia and Korea in efforts to enhance the already familiar bilateral relations to the level of ‘strategic partnership’,” he explained.

He added that to ensure that the planning under the MoU can be implemented well and run smoothly, they agreed to set up a working committee between the Ministries of Defence of the two countries that will lead the implementation of the MoU.

According to Hishammuddin, the next initiative is that both countries are also working towards an MoU related to the defense industry which will be closely related to the National Defence and Security Industry Policy (DIPKN) which is being drafted by the Ministry of Defence.

At today’s meeting, he said, he and Suh Wook also took the opportunity to discuss multilateral cooperation, especially regarding the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM).

“As the Co-Chairman of the ADMM-Plus Expert Working Group on Cyber Security, we also touch on security threats in the domain of cyber security.

“At the end of the meeting, I also expressed confidence that with Korea’s support, the Ministry of Defence’s initiative on the ASEAN Cyber Defense Network (ACDN) can be implemented more effectively,” he said.