Australia will host the second Australia-Republic of Korea (ROK) Foreign and Defence Ministerial (2+2) Consultations on 11 September.
We look forward to welcoming our counterparts, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, Mr Yun Byung-se and the Minister of National Defense, Han Min-koo, to Sydney for discussions on strengthening this important bilateral relationship.
Our discussions will focus on advancing security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region. We remain committed to addressing strategic challenges in our region, including security on the Korean Peninsula.
We will negotiate a blueprint for enhanced security and defence cooperation, building on the 2014 Vision Statement for a secure, peaceful and prosperous future for our two countries agreed between Prime Minister Abbott and President Park.
The ROK is one of Australia’s closest partners in our region. Our defence cooperation has deep roots in our shared sacrifice in the Korean War and has increased significantly, including through military exercises on the Korean Peninsula.
Our commercial ties are strong and growing under the Korea-Australia Free Trade Agreement. The ROK is Australia’s fourth-largest trading partner and is also Australia’s third-largest export market.
We are also working together to support global and regional growth and stability through the G20, APEC, East Asia Summit and the grouping of Mexico, Indonesia, Korea, Turkey, Australia (MIKTA) countries and the New Colombo Plan.