South Korea is considering sharing advanced military technology with the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia through the AUKUS partnership, according to Defense Minister Shin Won-sik. This decision was made during discussions between South Korea and Australia’s defense and foreign ministers in Melbourne. The AUKUS agreement involves the provision of U.S. nuclear-powered submarines to Australia by the United States and the United Kingdom to counter an increasing military presence from China.
Under what is known as AUKUS Pillar 2, the countries may broaden their cooperation to include security technologies such as artificial intelligence, electronic warfare, and hypersonic systems. Shin expressed gratitude for South Korea’s invitation from the three AUKUS partners, highlighting that South Korea’s defense science and technology capabilities would contribute to regional peace and stability.
Japan is also making progress towards engaging in formal discussions to join AUKUS Pillar 2’s technology development and sharing efforts. Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles welcomed South Korea’s initiatives to strengthen ties with Japan, emphasizing the positive impact this would have on the strategic landscape of the region.
Marles expressed optimism about the collaborative efforts between Korea and Australia to uphold the rules-based order within the region and globally. He views this as a significant step forward in strengthening cooperation between Korea, Japan, Australia, the United States, and India within the Quad security dialogue.