Kim will then fly to Singapore on Thursday to attend an international security forum.
The 6th Asia Security Summit, also known as the Shangri-La Dialogue, is to be held for two days from Friday to discuss regional security cooperation and the North Korean nuclear issue.
The annual event organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies will bring together 27 official government delegations, including defense ministers from 14 countries.
SEOUL, May 28 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's Defense Minister Kim Jang-soo left Monday for India to participate in the first-ever defense ministerial talks between the two Asian powers.
"Minister Kim is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Indian Defense Minister A. K Antony on Wednesday," a Defense Ministry spokesman said.
They plan to discuss ways of promoting defense cooperation such as joint naval exercises and trade of defense materials, he added.
"There will likely be no concrete agreement on any certain issue, as the meeting is largely aimed at laying the groundwork for closer defense cooperation," the spokesman said.
Kim will then fly to Singapore on Thursday to attend an international security forum.
The 6th Asia Security Summit, also known as the Shangri-La Dialogue, is to be held for two days from Friday to discuss regional security cooperation and the North Korean nuclear issue.
The annual event organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies will bring together 27 official government delegations, including defense ministers from 14 countries.
The South Korean minister plans to hold bilateral talks on Saturday with his American counterpart Robert M. Gates to review pending issues including the relocation of U.S. troops on the peninsula and the planned transfer of wartime control of South Korea's military from Washington to Seoul.
Kim is to deliver a keynote speech, titled "The North Korean issue: Challenge and Opportunity," in the opening session of the security conference.
While in Singapore, Kim will also hold bilateral talks with his counterparts from New Zealand, Singapore, Japan and Indonesia.
