"Green Hydrogen Cooperation, Our Companies Hope to Join"... Two Leaders Say 'North Korea Sanctions Must Be Strong and Strict'
President Yoon Suk-yeol, who is visiting Spain to attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit, shakes hands with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during the South Korea-Australia summit on the 28th (local time).
(Madrid, Spain = Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan) President Yoon Suk-yeol met with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to express solidarity on democratic values and norms and discussed North Korean denuclearization and peace policies on the Korean Peninsula. Notably, President Yoon also drew attention by engaging in sales diplomacy, emphasizing cooperation in economic security areas such as supply chains.
President Yoon, who is staying in Madrid, Spain to attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit, carried out his first official NATO schedule on the afternoon of the 28th (local time) at a hotel in Madrid. Originally, President Yoon was scheduled to start his first agenda with a summit meeting with Finnish President Sauli Niinist?, but it was canceled due to scheduling conflicts, and instead, he held talks with Prime Minister Albanese.
At the meeting, President Yoon stated, "Since both countries have new governments, I hope we will closely cooperate to further develop bilateral relations." Prime Minister Albanese assumed office around the same time as President Yoon, who took office last month. Earlier, the presidential office explained, "Australia also launched a new government on May 23, and our government on May 10, so we plan to discuss regional cooperation in line with the inauguration of the new governments of both countries."
Foreign Minister Park Jin, First Deputy Director of the National Security Office Kim Tae-hyo, Diplomatic Secretary Lee Moon-hee, Senior Secretary for Economic Affairs Choi Sang-mok, and Industrial Policy Secretary Kang Kyung-sung attended the meeting, where discussions were held on how to develop the comprehensive strategic partnership between Korea and Australia on the occasion of the 61st anniversary of diplomatic relations. The agenda included ▲ solidarity on values and norms ▲ ASEAN centrality ▲ energy and climate change cooperation ▲ North Korean nuclear issues ▲ bid for the 2030 Busan Expo ▲ mutual invitations for summit visits and proposals for annual meetings.
First, the two leaders agreed on the principle of protecting democratic values, respecting the sovereignty of all countries, and excluding the use of force. President Yoon expressed hope that the two countries would closely cooperate based on the values of democracy, human rights, and market economy, while Prime Minister Albanese mentioned the need to share vigilance about the adverse effects authoritarianism can have, having witnessed the war in Ukraine.
Prime Minister Albanese particularly emphasized ASEAN centrality. He said that the two countries should strengthen cooperation with ASEAN and actively engage in the region to jointly contribute to freedom, peace, and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region.
There was consensus on green technology cooperation between the two countries for carbon neutrality. At the meeting, President Yoon conveyed that Australia has strengths in green hydrogen cooperation and hopes for the participation of Korean companies. In line with this, both sides emphasized cooperation in supply chains for advanced industrial materials and rare minerals, as well as economic security cooperation to address climate change.
They also reaffirmed their willingness to cooperate on North Korean nuclear issues. Prime Minister Albanese stated that Australia intends to continue to implement the economic sanctions imposed on North Korea strongly and strictly.
Additionally, President Yoon requested support for the 2030 Busan Expo bid as a leader country of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF). Prime Minister Albanese responded that he would consider it appropriately. Although Australia does not have voting rights in the Expo host selection, it is a country that exerts significant influence over the 11 member countries of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), which do have voting rights.
Meanwhile, Australia was invited to this NATO summit as an Asia-Pacific partner country along with Korea, Japan, and New Zealand. Australia is also a member of the Quad, a four-nation military consultative group formed by the United States, Japan, and India to counter China’s maritime expansion policy.
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