South Korea and the United States signed an agreement Friday (Feb. 15) that will help boost cooperation between their militaries in information and communication technologies, the Defense Ministry said.

The agreement was signed by South Korea’s Choi Kwang-sup, head of the Defense Ministry’s resource management headquarters, and John G. Grimes, assistant secretary of defense for networks and information integration.

The sealed document calls for increased cooperation between the countries’ militaries in the information technology sector while also calling for an annual forum of their information-communication officials.

"The agreement is to hold a forum once a year, but various working-level consultations will be held throughout the year," a ministry official said.

The efforts to boost exchange of information and technology partly come as Seoul is set to retake the wartime operational control, commonly known as OPCON, of its troops from the United States in April 2012.

"One of the purposes for establishing the forum is to secure close cooperation between South Korea and the United States in their command system before the transfer of the OPCON, so they can effectively support joint missions of their militaries," the ministry said in a released statement.

About 28,000 U.S. troops are currently stationed in South Korea, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War. Gen. B. B. Bell, commander of the U.S. forces here, currently heads the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command, which will be disbanded immediately after the U.S. commander hands over the OPCON of South Korean troops.

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Origin of story : Government Information Agency

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