General Manoj Mukund(MM) Naravane, Chief of the Army Staff(COAS) of Indian army undertook a 3 day visit to South Korea(officially, Republic of Korea-ROK) from December 28 to 30, 2020. He received a Guard of Honour at Republic of Korea Army(ROKA) Headquarters at Gyeryong, South Korea.
- It is the first-ever visit of an Indian Army COAS to the ROK.
Aim of the Visit-To strengthen bilateral defence cooperation between the two countries.
Highlights of the Visit:
Interaction and Discussion
i.General MM Naravane called on General Nam Yeong shin, Chief of Staff of the ROK Army and discussed the bilateral defence cooperation issues.
ii.He also called on General Won In Choul, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Republic of Korea and held discussion regarding the methods to enhance India and ROK defence relations
iii.He had an interaction with Mr Gang Eun Ho, minister of Defense Acquisition Program Administration(DAPA) and exchanged views on defence cooperation.
iv.He also had an interaction with His Excellency Suh Wook, Minister of National Defence, ROK and made discussion regarding the mutual interest & defence cooperation issues.
Visits
i.He visited the 30th Armoured Brigade and Demilitarized Zone(DMZ) of ROK.
ii.He also visited the Agency for Defense Development(ADD) at Daejeon.
- ADD is the national agency for research and development in defense technology in ROK. It is funded by DAPA.
Recent Visits of General MM Naravane:
i.General MM Naravane’s visit to South Korea comes after his visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from 9 to 14 December, 2020 as part of India’s military diplomacy in the neighbourhood.
ii.It is the 1st visit by Indian Army COAS to these countries.
iii.He also made a 3 day visit to Nepal from November 4-6, 2020
General Info:
i.The 30th Armoured Brigade was a World War II British Army unit that served in the campaign in Western Europe as part of the 79th Armoured Division.
ii.It was created on 27 December 1940 as part of Northern Command.
Recent Related News:
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General MM Naravane and Foreign Secretary (FS) Harsh Vardhan Shringla concluded the two-day visit to Myanmar on October 4-5, 2020. India and Myanmar reviewed the progress made in bilateral relations in recent years by regular high-level visits and interactions.
About Indian Army:
Chief of the Army Staff(COAS)– General MM Naravane
Vice Chief of the Army Staff(VCOAS)– Lt Gen SK Saini
Headquarters– New Delhi, Delhi
About Republic of Korea Army(ROKA):
Chief of Staff– General Nam Yeong shin
Headquarters– Gyeryong, South Korea
