South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik on Tuesday met with a Romanian presidential official in Romania and discussed expanding bilateral defense and arms cooperation, Shin's office said.

Shin held talks with Ion Oprisor, Romania's presidential adviser on national security, during his visit to the East European country to bolster strategic partnership in the defense area, the defense ministry said.

Oprisor expressed hope for deepening ties in defense and the arms industry, noting Romania plays a significant role on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's eastern flank, according to the ministry.

Shin is currently on a weeklong trip to Romania and Poland to boost Seoul's bid to secure more arms export deals.

Romania has shown interest in Korean weapons systems, such as K9 self-propelled howitzers, Redback infantry fighting vehicles and K2 tanks.

In April, President Yoon Suk Yeol and his Romanian counterpart, Klaus Iohannis, held a summit in Seoul and agreed to boost cooperation in defense and nuclear energy.