{"id":2204910,"date":"2024-05-01T08:00:51","date_gmt":"2024-04-30T23:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?p=2204910"},"modified":"2024-04-30T18:54:15","modified_gmt":"2024-04-30T09:54:15","slug":"rok-holds-defense-foreign-ministerial-talks-with-australia-amid-power-vacuum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/05\/rok-holds-defense-foreign-ministerial-talks-with-australia-amid-power-vacuum\/","title":{"rendered":"ROK holds defense, foreign ministerial talks with Australia amid power vacuum\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

South Korean defense minister Shin Won-shik and his Australian counterpart, Richard Marles, visited<\/a> a Hanwha Defense production facility in Geelong<\/a>, Victoria, on Tuesday, underscoring their commitment to expanding defense cooperation between the two nations. The facility, slated for completion<\/a> later this year, will produce ROK-designed K9 Self-Propelled Howitzers<\/a> (AS-9), ammunition resupply vehicles<\/a> (AS-10), and Redback<\/a> armored vehicles, all tailored to Australian specifications. During the visit, Shin emphasized the strategic benefits of such cooperation, including enhanced interoperability of weapon systems and strengthened military capabilities for both countries.<\/p>\n

The visit occurred alongside the Australia-ROK 2+2 foreign and defense ministerial meetings scheduled<\/a> for Wednesday in Melbourne. These meetings come at a time when South Korea lacks an ambassador in Australia, following the resignation<\/a> of the former ambassador, Lee Jong-sup \u2014 a previous defense minister accused<\/a> of improperly influencing a probe into the death of a marine during floods last year. The charge d’affaires at the ROK embassy in Australia will attend some of this week’s ministerial meetings in his stead, according to the South Korean foreign ministry.<\/p>\n

Why It Matters\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

This ministerial meeting, the first in three years, is significant: South Korea agreed to conduct regular ministerial-level 2+2 meetings only<\/a> with the U.S., U.K. and Australia. Typically, the ambassador to Australia would participate if the meeting were held in the country. The Presidential Office, when appointing Lee, emphasized<\/a> Australia’s unique role in these regular meetings, highlighting the need for an ambassador who is \u201cnot just a typical diplomat but a heavyweight figure\u201d with defense expertise, particularly to enhance defense cooperation and Indo-Pacific strategic discussions. Lee\u2019s appointment was supported by his extensive track record in defense industry deals during his tenure as minister.<\/p>\n

Following Lee’s resignation last month, the selection of his successor has been delayed. Given the ongoing focus on defense cooperation, seen in this week\u2019s developments, and Australia’s growing importance as a regional partner, South Korea faces a significant challenge in finding a suitable replacement who matches Lee\u2019s stature and expertise. The Presidential Office faces the daunting task of finding a figure with a similar level of defense background and ministerial status, in part to justify the previous appointment. The ongoing manpower vacuum in the embassy will also domestically raise concerns about its capacity to handle important diplomatic engagements effectively, such as this week\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Defense & Security<\/span><\/a>Inter-Korean & Foreign Relations<\/span><\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

South Korean defense minister Shin Won-shik and his Australian counterpart, Richard Marles, visited a Hanwha Defense production facility in Geelong, Victoria, on Tuesday, underscoring their commitment to expanding defense cooperation between the two nations. The facility, slated for completion later this year, will produce ROK-designed K9 Self-Propelled Howitzers (AS-9), ammunition resupply vehicles (AS-10), and Redback […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5770,"featured_media":2204911,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[26,28],"class_list":["post-2204910","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-briefings","tag-defense-security","tag-inter-korean-foreign-relations"],"yoast_head":"\nROK holds defense, foreign ministerial talks with Australia amid power vacuum\u00a0 - KOREA PRO<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/05\/rok-holds-defense-foreign-ministerial-talks-with-australia-amid-power-vacuum\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"ROK holds defense, foreign ministerial talks with Australia amid power vacuum\u00a0 - KOREA PRO\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"South Korean defense minister Shin Won-shik and his Australian counterpart, Richard Marles, visited a Hanwha Defense production facility in Geelong, Victoria, on Tuesday, underscoring their commitment to expanding defense cooperation between the two nations. 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