Seoul: The top military officers of South Korea and Australia held phone talks Monday and concurred on the need to expand cooperation, such as combined drills and personnel exchange, the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.
According to Yonhap News Agency, JCS Chairman Adm. Kim Myung-soo and his Australian counterpart, Adm. David Johnston, agreed that the expansion of such cooperation is necessary for the peace and stability of the international community as they assessed the security situation on the Korean Peninsula and in the Indo-Pacific region, the JCS said.
In the conversation, Kim stressed that the security situation and readiness posture on the Korean Peninsula remains stable, and called for Johnston's support in strengthening bilateral cooperation in the areas of defense and the arms industry.
Johnston voiced concerns over the recent regional and global security situation, highlighting the need for a joint international response, the JCS said.
Monday's phone talks, held at Kim's request, marked the second such conversation between the top military officers after they discussed ways to enhance bilateral security cooperation in August last year.