SEOUL: Defence chiefs from South Korea and Australia agreed on Tuesday to strengthen defense cooperation, according to South Korea’s defense ministry.
South Korea-Pacific Island Summit
On the sidelines of the inaugural South Korea-Pacific Islands Summit in Seoul, Korean Defence Minister Lee Jong-sup met with his Australian counterpart Richard Marles.
Lee expressed South Korea’s military’s interest in taking part in the Indo-Pacific Endeavour worldwide military drill, as well as Operation Render Safe, the Australian Defence Force’s actions to remove underwater mines in the Pacific.
The two countries agreed to have working-level meetings as part of the procedure of revising a memorandum of understanding signed in 2011 to improve defense sector cooperation.
According to a presidential spokesperson, Marles also met with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and discussed joint efforts to expand cooperation with Pacific Island countries.
