South Korea plans to add one more military
attache to its embassy in China by the end of this year as part of its efforts to forge stronger military cooperation with Beijing, officials here said Tuesday.
The addition would bring the number of South Korean military attaches in China to six. Seoul expects the increased staff to strengthen its
intelligence gathering capacity on North Korea, officials said.
"An Army colonel will be sent to the South Korean embassy in China by the end of this year, as the importance of military cooperation with China is growing," one official said on the customary condition of anonymity.
The defense ministry completed consultations with the foreign ministry regarding the matter, he said.
Inter-Korean relations plunged to one of the lowest levels in years after a team of multinational investigators concluded in May that North Korea torpedoed a South Korean warship in March, killing 46 sailors.
North Korea denies the accusation and has threatened that any attempts to punish it will lead to war.
China, the North's main ally, has not accepted the results of the multinational probe, calling on related parties to keep calm and show
restraint over the sinking of the Cheonan warship.