Top military officers of S. Korea, Australia vow to expand military exchanges, cooperation

Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Chairman Gen. Jin Yong-sung speaks with his Australian counterpart, Adm. Mark Hammond, via phone call, Tuesday. Courtesy of JCS

The top military officers of South Korea and Australia held talks over the phone Tuesday to discuss the security environment of the Indo-Pacific region and agreed to expand military cooperation, the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.

JCS Chairman Gen. Jin Yong-sung held his first phone call with Adm. Mark Hammond, during which the two sides shared their assessment of the regional security environment, including North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.

Jin thanked Australia for its continued contributions to ensuring peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the Indo-Pacific region as a participating nation in the 1950-53 Korean War and a core security partner for South Korea.

In response, Hammond pledged to further strengthen trust between their militaries and expand future-oriented military exchanges and cooperation.

The two officers also agreed to further expand military exchanges and cooperation in effectively countering the changing security environment, including through joint exercises and personnel exchanges.