Watch FIFA World Cup 2026™ LIVE, FREE and EXCLUSIVE

South Korea, Australia to hold ministerial talks

South Korea and Australia will hold foreign and defense ministerial talks in Sydney next week to discuss issues related to regional security and the countries' common interests.

Defence Minister Marise Payne, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, ROK Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, ROK Defence Minister Song Young-moo address at the Joint Press Conference of the 3rd ROK-Australia 2+2 Foreign and Defence Ministers Meeting in 2017

Defence Minister Marise Payne, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, ROK Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, ROK Defence Minister Song Young-moo address at the Joint Pres Source: Getty Image

South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo will visit Australia to meet counterparts Marise Payne and Linda Reynolds on Tuesday.

"Both countries are major stakeholders in the Asia-Pacific region and have closely cooperated to ensure regional security. They also discussed various global issues under the framework of the two-plus-two ministerial meeting," the Korean Government announced in the statement.

"This year, both sides will discuss the countries' joint efforts in various security issues, including nonproliferation, cyber-security and terrorism and they will explore cooperation between Seoul's New Southern Policy and Australia's Indo-Pacific strategy."

The ministry added that Kang would have a separate meeting with Marise Payne to discuss further ways to bolster ties through strengthening their network and diplomatic infrastructure.

The two-plus-two ministerial meeting has been a biannual event since 2013. Seoul hosted the last meeting in October 2017. This year's meeting is the fourth of its kind.

During the last meeting, both sides released a joint statement announcing that they wouldn't recognize North Korea as a nuclear power and would "take necessary steps to force the North to comply with its duties to the international community."

Then-Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and Payne also visited the truce village of Panmunjom before the 2017 meeting.

This year's meeting will take place amid mounting tensions between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ahead of the "year-end deadline" proposed by Kim for a breakthrough in the countries' denuclearization talks.


2 min read

Published

Updated

By Yang J. Joo

Presented by Yang J. Joo



Share this with family and friends


Follow SBS Korean

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our exclusive in-language podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

Korean News

Watch it onDemand

Watch now