South Korea's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cho Tae-yul, left, is alongside South Korea's National Defense Minister Shin Won-sik during an Australia and South Korea Foreign and Defence Ministers meeting in Melbourne, Wednesday, Australia, May 1, 2024. Shin said the possibility was discussed during two days of meetings between South Korea and Australia’s defense and foreign ministers that ended in the Australian city of Melbourne on Wednesday.
The United States and the United Kingdom agreed in 2021 to provide Australia with a fleet of submarines powered by U.S. nuclear technology under the AUKUS agreement to counter a growing military presence fromShin welcomed South Korea's invitation from the three AUKUS partners. “We do welcome that AUKUS members are considering Korea as an AUKUS Pillar 2 partner and Korea’s defense science and technology capabilities will contribute to the peace and stability of the development of AUKUS Pillar 2 and regional peace,” Shin said through a translator.
Japan is also moving toward formal talks to become part of AUKUS Pillar 2’s technology development and sharing.“We see this is a very, very positive step forward in the strategic landscape of the region and represents a huge opportunity for Australia to engage with both Korea and Japan,” Marles told reporters.
“Korea and Australia are working together to uphold the rules-based order within our region and, in fact, within the world,” Marles added.