South Korea has held talks on joining part of the AUKUS defense agreement between the United States, Britain and Australia, Defense Minister Shin Won-sik said on Wednesday, just weeks after it said it would consider including Japan in the pact, UNN reports citing Reuters.
Details
Established in 2021, AUKUS is a two-phase security pact to counter China's growing power in the Asia-Pacific region.
Although the first phase of Australia's nuclear submarine technology transfer is limited to the core three participants, they have raised the possibility of other countries joining the second phase, or Pillar 2, aimed at sharing other military technologies.
South Korea could contribute to this second phase with its defense, scientific and technological capabilities, Shin said at a press conference after the meeting of the Australian and South Korean foreign and defense ministers in Melbourne.
During today's meeting, we also discussed the possibility of partnering with AUKUS Pillar 2. We support the activities of AUKUS Pillar 2 and welcome that members are considering Korea as a partner in AUKUS Pillar 2
South Korea, which has close ties with the United States and the world's leading defense industry, has long been considered a potential partner in the second component, along with Canada, New Zealand, and Japan, the publication writes.
"Korea is a country with impressive technology and we share common values. As AUKUS Pillar 2 develops, there will be opportunities in the future, and we see that manifesting itself with Japan as well," said Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles.
Addendum
Less than a month ago, the AUKUS partners announced that they were considering cooperation with Japan on specific defense projects in the second pillar and would hold talks on Japan's participation this year.
China, a vocal critic of the pact, said in April that adding new members would destabilize the region.
Expansion of the pact faces obstacles due to strict US restrictions on technology sharing, which Canberra and London fear could stall the deal for all if new members are added too quickly.
The U.S. State Department on Tuesday unveiled a plan to ease these restrictions and facilitate the transfer of military equipment and sensitive technology to the United Kingdom and Australia.