S. Korea, Australia agree to cooperate on security, development aid

By Tony Chang
SEOUL, Dec. 16 (Yonhap) -- Foreign ministers of South Korea and Australia agreed
Wednesday to strengthen ties in security, trade, overseas development aid and
other areas of mutual interest, the foreign ministry said.

Yu Myung-hwan, Seoul's top diplomat, met with visiting Australian Foreign
Minister Stephen Smith in Seoul and agreed to push to implement a bilateral
security agreement signed by the leaders of the two countries earlier this year,
said the ministry.
Smith arrived in Seoul on Tuesday for a two-day stay and met with Prime Minister
Chung Un-chan, Yu and other top officials for discussions on expanding bilateral
cooperation in areas including security, diplomacy and business.
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak made a state visit to Australia in March and
held a summit with Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to forge an agreement,
dubbed the "Enhanced Global and Security Cooperation," in which the two countries
agreed to boost ties in the military and defense industries. The leaders also
called for cooperation in international peacekeeping operations, joint military
drills and the exploration of airborne early warning and control aircraft.
Yu called for both nations to cooperate in reaching a balanced free trade
agreement by addressing sensitive issues through consultations, while Smith
agreed to cooperate to reach a swift agreement.
The ministers also signed a memorandum of understanding on contributions to
overseas development assistance. It calls for providing assistance to developing
nations and exploring ways to increase combined efforts in humanitarian aid and
other development-related projects by regularizing talks in the area, according
to the ministry.
odissy@yna.co.kr
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