by the Prime Minister of Australia, Kevin Rudd, and the President of the Republic of Korea, Lee Myung-bak

Joint Statement

On 5 March 2009, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd of Australia and President Lee Myung-bak of the Republic of Korea met in Canberra.

The two leaders:

Acknowledging that the Australia-Korea relationship, forged during the Korean War, had developed into a broad-based partnership, including substantial trade and investment links and strong people-to-people ties;

Committing to further strengthen the relationship on the basis of shared democratic values, commitment to human rights, freedom and the rule of law, and mutual respect, trust and deep friendship;

Recognising that Australia and the Republic of Korea share key security interests in Northeast Asia, the Asia-Pacific region and beyond, with peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in East Asia, including the early resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue, critical to the prosperity and security of both countries; and, in this context, confirming the strategic importance of their respective alliance partnerships with the United States;

Affirming the two countries' common purpose in working actively together, and with other countries through fora such as APEC, the ASEAN Regional Forum, the East Asia Summit, and the G20, to advance the development, stability and security of the Asia-Pacific region, particularly in the face of the international financial crisis;

Affirming also the two countries' commitment to cooperate together and with other countries through the United Nations and other multilateral institutions to promote and help ensure global security;

Recalling that during their meeting in August 2008, they agreed to explore opportunities to expand global and security cooperation;

Reflecting the extent to which Australia and the Republic of Korea already cooperate on a wide range of issues;

Have agreed to a comprehensive Action Plan for Enhanced Global and Security Cooperation between Australia and the Republic of Korea (attached), under which the governments of Australia and the Republic of Korea will:

1. Consult closely and meet regularly, including at ministerial level, to discuss matters of common strategic interest in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond and to continuously explore and develop opportunities for cooperation.
2. Cooperate more closely on law enforcement to combat transnational crime, including trafficking in illegal narcotics and precursors, people smuggling and trafficking, money-laundering, counterfeiting currency and arms smuggling, piracy and armed robbery against ships, and on border security issues.
3. Consult and cooperate bilaterally, and in regional and multilateral fora, on counter-terrorism issues, including on cyber-security and cyber-terrorism, and to advance the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism.
4. Continue to expand cooperation on global disarmament and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery through a range of mechanisms including the United Nations and its associated agencies and the International Commission for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament.
5. Build on the established good level of strategic dialogue and cooperation between the two countries' defence forces by exploring opportunities for defence engagement in areas such as peacekeeping, civil-military cooperation, defence management, joint exercises, training and exchange programs and the establishment of linkages between the Asia-Pacific Civil-Military Centre of Excellence and Korean institutions.
6. Conclude a bilateral agreement on the protection of classified military information that will enable the secure exchange of classified military information between defence organisations and related industry contractors, thereby facilitating further opportunities for practical defence and defence industry cooperation.
7. Promote greater cooperation between the Australian and Republic of Korea defence industries, including by exploring cooperation on Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft, including through sharing information to assist in developing future enhancements; and by examining possibilities for cooperation on other defence industry and materiel procurement and maintenance activities.
8. Enhance cooperation on development and humanitarian assistance, including to promote achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and improve aid effectiveness.
9. Cooperate more closely on disaster and emergency preparedness, response and management.

Action Plan

Areas of Cooperation

1. Bilateral and multilateral cooperation and consultation on issues of common strategic interest in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.

2. Law enforcement to combat transnational crime, including trafficking in illegal narcotics and precursors, people smuggling and trafficking, money laundering, counterfeiting currency and arms smuggling.

3. Border security

4. Counter-terrorism

5. Disarmament and counter-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery

6. Peacekeeping and other Defence cooperation

7. Maritime Security

8. Development Cooperation, with a focus on humanitarian operations, including disaster relief and management

9. Review of the Action Plan

Agency involvement

Australian Agencies

ROK Agencies

Contact us

If you have a specific inquiry on any of these issues, please contact DFAT's Korean Peninsula and Mongolia Section:

Fax: +61 2 6261 1571

Post: Korean Peninsula and Mongolia Section

Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade

RG Casey Building

John McEwen Crescent

BARTON ACT 0221

For media enquiries, please call DFAT's Media Liaison Section: +61 2 6261 1555