Why AUKUS could have knock-on effects on South Korea-Australia defense ties



Analysis Why AUKUS could have knock-on effects on South Korea-Australia defense ties Changing security environment in Indo-Pacific is giving Canberra second thoughts about acquiring South Korean weapons Jada FraserMarch 21, 2023 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON K21 Redback Infantry Fighting Vehicle, undated \| Image: Agency for Defense Development When Seoul and Canberra concluded a $1 billion contract with defense giant Hanwha a little over a year ago, it marked a historical point in Australia’s defense strategy as the first major deal with an Asian country. In a following contract, the South Korean firm far exceeded that deal by reportedly winning the bid to supply the Australian Defense Force with 450 Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFV), which are worth about $27 billion. It is the Australian army’s largest acquisition program. If successfully concluded, the deal would supersede the previous Hanwha contract to mark the most significant development in South © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. LATEST ANALYSIS 01Trump’s Alaska LNG claim shows who really runs the US-South Korea alliance 02South Korea’s missile defense push raises new questions over wartime stocks 03South Korea bank hacks expose weak links beyond core financial systems 04Lee-Zelensky feud exposes South Korea’s widening Ukraine policy dilemma 05Lee Jae Myung’s ‘pacemaker’ strategy tests South Korea’s leverage with Trump 06Trump’s Korea investment victory lap masks safeguards Seoul still controls 07North Korean POW dispute tests Seoul-Kyiv trust and future Ukraine policy 08South Korea’s CPTPP push exposes the cost of turning trade gains into consensus

Analysis

Why AUKUS could have knock-on effects on South Korea-Australia defense ties

Changing security environment in Indo-Pacific is giving Canberra second thoughts about acquiring South Korean weapons

Jada FraserMarch 21, 2023

Why AUKUS could have knock-on effects on South Korea-Australia defense ties

K21 Redback Infantry Fighting Vehicle, undated | Image: Agency for Defense Development

When Seoul and Canberra concluded a $1 billion contract with defense giant Hanwha a little over a year ago, it marked a historical point in Australia’s defense strategy as the first major deal with an Asian country.

In a following contract, the South Korean firm far exceeded that deal by reportedly winning the bid to supply the Australian Defense Force with 450 Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFV), which are worth about $27 billion.

It is the Australian army’s largest acquisition program. If successfully concluded, the deal would supersede the previous Hanwha contract to mark the most significant development in South

LATEST ANALYSIS

01Trump’s Alaska LNG claim shows who really runs the US-South Korea alliance
02South Korea’s missile defense push raises new questions over wartime stocks
03South Korea bank hacks expose weak links beyond core financial systems
04Lee-Zelensky feud exposes South Korea’s widening Ukraine policy dilemma
05Lee Jae Myung’s ‘pacemaker’ strategy tests South Korea’s leverage with Trump
06Trump’s Korea investment victory lap masks safeguards Seoul still controls
07North Korean POW dispute tests Seoul-Kyiv trust and future Ukraine policy
08South Korea’s CPTPP push exposes the cost of turning trade gains into consensus

Why AUKUS could have knock-on effects on South Korea-Australia defense ties

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Jada Fraser