President Lee Jae Myung (right) and Poland's President Karol Nawrocki shake hands during the meeting at the UN headquarters in New York on Wednesday. (Yonhap)
President Lee Jae Myung (right) and Poland's President Karol Nawrocki shake hands during the meeting at the UN headquarters in New York on Wednesday. (Yonhap)

NEW YORK -- President Lee Jae Myung and his Polish counterpart Karol Nawrocki discussed the growing defense ties between South Korea and Poland, according to the presidential office, as the two leaders met Wednesday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

Lee expressed his anticipation for the wider cooperation in the defense industry as Poland is seeking to purchase new submarines amid concerns over threats from Russia. South Korea is reported to be one of the bidders to sell submarines to Poland, along with Italy, Spain, France, Sweden and a German-Norwegian consortium.

The two leaders acknowledged the past defense ties between the two countries, as South Korea has been exporting K2 tanks to Poland. According to Lee Kyu-youn, Lee's senior secretary to public relations and communications, Nawrocki hailed South Korean defense industry manufacturers as being on time.

Lee and Nawrocki also exchanged their views on the situations on the Korean Peninsula and Ukraine, according to the presidential office.


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