By Franz-Stefan Gady
The defense and foreign ministers of both countries agreed to a new defense and security cooperation blueprint.
Last week, the Australian defense and foreign ministers, Kevin Andrews and Julie Bishop, met with their South Korean counterparts Han Min-koo and Yun Byung-se in Sydney to discuss deeper defense and security cooperation between the two countries. The first “2+2” meeting between the two countries was held in July 2013 in Seoul
During the “2+2” talks, both sides agreed to a new defense cooperation framework that includes deeper cooperation in the areas of defense, counter-proliferation, transnational law enforcement, cyber security, border security, crisis management, and maritime safety, according to a press release from the Australian Foreign Ministry.
The meeting was the first bilateral defense discussion between South Korea and another U.S. ally since Korean President Park Geun-hye attended China’s grand military parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the surrender of Japan and the end of World War II at the beginning of September.
South Korea maintains close ties with China, given Beijing’s special relationship with North Korea. Seoul hopes that Beijing will gradually shift its policies vis-à-vis Pyongyang and support the South’s unification aspirations. China is also South Korea largest trading partner.
Read the full story at The Diplomat