SEOUL, March 13 (Yonhap) -- A senior Saudi defense official will visit South Korea this week to inspect key domestic weapons systems, sources announced Wednesday, amid increasing bilateral cooperation in the defense industry.
Talal bin Abdullah Al-Otaibi, Saudi Assistant Minister of Defense, is scheduled to arrive in South Korea on Wednesday for a three-day visit, according to sources from the defense industry and concerned authorities.
During the trip, the Saudi official is expected to tour to learn about South Korea's main defense products, including the KF-21 fighter jet under development, the medium-range surface-to-air missile system (M-SAM II) and the 3,000-ton Doosan Ahn Chang-ho submarine.
The visit comes after South Korean defense company LIG Nex1 signed a US$3.2 billion deal to supply 10 M-SAM II batteries to Saudi Arabia last November.
Last month, Defense Minister Shin Won-sik visited the kingdom for talks on defense industry cooperation and explained Seoul's plans to produce a next-generation fighter jet in response to Saudi Arabia's interest in such efforts.
South Korea is currently developing the KF-21 without the stealth capabilities of a fifth-generation fighter, such as the F-35A, though more upgrades are in mind to eventually build a sixth-generation fighter with advanced capabilities.

Hyundai Rotem (HR-SHERPA)
