Singapore: Senior defense officials from South Korea, Japan, and Australia convened for trilateral talks to deliberate on regional security concerns and explore avenues for enhancing mutual cooperation, as reported by the South Korean defense ministry.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the discussions took place on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual defense forum hosted in Singapore. The South Korean delegation was led by Deputy Defense Minister for Policy Cho Chang-rae, who met with his Japanese and Australian counterparts, Taro Yamato, Director General for Defense Policy, and Hugh Jeffrey, Deputy Secretary of Strategy, Policy and Industry, respectively.

The trilateral meeting follows a historic gathering last year when defense ministers from the three nations convened for the first time at the same security forum. This year, Cho represented South Korea in place of Acting Defense Minister Kim Seon-ho, who was absent due to the upcoming presidential election on June 3.

In addition to the trilateral talks, Cho engaged in a series of bilateral meetings with senior defense officials from Canada, Japan, the Philippines, Poland, and Singapore. These discussions aimed to enhance defense and arms industry cooperation, as stated by the ministry.

Cho and Japanese Defense Official Yamato emphasized the significance of their bilateral and trilateral security collaboration with the United States, particularly in response to North Korea’s advancing nuclear and missile capabilities and its increasing military ties with Russia.

During discussions with Polish Deputy Defense Minister Pawel Zalewski, both parties highlighted their cooperation in the arms industry, particularly regarding exports of the K9 self-propelled howitzer. They expressed commitment to further expanding defense exchanges and cooperation.