Head of S. Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff to visit Russia, Turkey

SEOUL, Nov. 28 (Yonhap) -- The chief of South Korea's armed forces will visit
Russia next week for talks with his counterpart aimed at improving ties between
the countries' militaries, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Friday.

The talks between JCS Chairman Gen. Kim Tae-young and his Russian counterpart,
Nikolai Makarov, follow an agreement between their two governments to establish a
strategic cooperative partnership made in late September.
"During his visit to Russia, Chairman Kim will discuss ways to foster a friendly
relationship between the countries' armed forces in line with the agreement to
upgrade the countries' relationship to a strategic partnership," the JCS said in
a press release. Seoul and Moscow established diplomatic ties in 1990.
Kim's visit to Russia will follow his three-day trip to Turkey, where he will
arrive on Saturday and meet with Gen. Ilker Basbug, commander of the Turkish
armed forces, for talks on increasing military exchanges and cooperation,
according to the JCS.
The chief of the South Korean armed forces will also be presented with a medal of
merit by the Turkish government for his efforts in improving military ties
between the two nations, it said.
bdk@yna.co.kr
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