Peruvian President Ollanta Humala reported "significant progress" Friday in negotiations to buy Korean trainer jets, saying he expects the talks to "soon" produce a concrete result.

Korea has been in talks with Peru to sell 20 KT-1 single-engine, turboprop trainer jets, worth about US$200 million, since early last year.

"There has been significant progress in the talks on the Korean trainer jet," Humala said through a translator at a press conference in Seoul after summit talks with President Lee Myung-bak on Thursday.

Peru has a "keen interest" in boosting cooperation with South Korea in the field of defense and weapons development, the Peru president said, adding he expects the talks to "soon produce a tangible result."

Humala has made technology transfer the main priority in the negotiations, calling the issue a "keyword" that could allow South Korea and Peru to sign a deal. Humala arrived in Seoul on early Thursday for a three-day visit.

On Thursday, Lee and Humala upgraded relations of the two nations to a "comprehensive strategic partnership" in a move expected to bring the two far-off countries even closer after their economic ties got a boost from last year's free trade agreement.

Korea and Peru put a bilateral free trade agreement into effect in August last year. (Yonhap)