On the afternoon of Wednesday, October 18, Eom Dong-hwan, Director General of the Defense Business Administration, met with Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Richard Marles at the Seoul ADEX 2023 defense exhibition hall and exchanged views on the future of defense cooperation between the two countries.
Commissioner Eom Dong-hwan and Defense Secretary Richard Marles said South Korea and Australia share values in India. Recognizing that the two countries are key partners in the Pacific region, they agreed to further develop their relationship so that they can continue to expand defense cooperation between the two countries for regional security.
In particular, Commissioner Eom Dong-hwan expressed his gratitude that defense cooperation between the two countries has been greatly expanded by the recent selection of the Redback armored personnel carrier as the preferred negotiator for the Australian Army’s infantry fighting vehicle project, and hoped to continue comprehensive and long-term cooperation with the establishment of a local production facility in Australia with the Redback armored personnel carrier.
In addition, Commissioner Eom Dong-hwan and Defense Minister Richard Marles exchanged views on the need to build a strategic defense cooperation relationship in which the ROK and Australia grow together, including the ongoing defense science and technology cooperation between the two countries, and agreed to continue discussions in the future.