Korea-Australia Foreign and Defense Ministers Meeting to Be Held on Next Month 1st... Focus on AUKUS Discussion

On January 25th, Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yeol is seen speaking with Penny Wong, Australia's Foreign Minister, for the first time since his inauguration. [Image source=Yonhap News]

The '2+2 Meeting' involving the foreign and defense ministers of Korea and Australia will be held in Australia on the 1st of next month.

Im Soo-seok, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a regular briefing on the 25th, "Minister Cho Tae-yeol will attend the 6th Korea-Australia Foreign and Defense Ministers' Meeting held in Australia on May 1," adding, "They plan to discuss ways to strengthen the 'comprehensive strategic partnership' with Australia, a representative like-minded country in the region that shares our values."

This meeting is the first in 2 years and 8 months since the 5th meeting held in Seoul in September 2021.

Spokesperson Im explained, "At this meeting, they will exchange views on various fields including the Indo-Pacific strategy of both countries, defense and defense industry, the Korean Peninsula, and regional situations."

Minister Cho and Defense Minister Shin Won-sik are also expected to hold bilateral talks with their Australian counterparts on the occasion of the 2+2 meeting. A Ministry of Foreign Affairs official said, "Minister Cho is scheduled to hold a meeting with Korean businesspeople, residents, and youth in the area."

Korea is the only country, aside from its ally the United States, that holds regular ministerial-level '2+2 meetings' with Australia.

At this meeting, there is also a possibility of discussing including Korea as a cooperating country in 'AUKUS' (the security alliance of the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia) 'Pillar 2'.

AUKUS is promoting 'Pillar 1', which provides Australia with nuclear submarines, and 'Pillar 2', which involves joint development with cooperating countries in eight fields including quantum computing, undersea, hypersonics, artificial intelligence, and cyber security. Participation in Pillar 1 is limited to the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia, but Pillar 2 is open to Korea and Japan.