1. The 4^th Foreign and Defense Ministers’ (2+2) Meeting between the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the Commonwealth of Australia will take place in Sydney, Australia, on the morning of December 10 (local time).

○ The two countries, as leading middle-power countries in the Asia and Pacific region and also like-minded countries, have held the biennial meeting since 2013 with an aim to strengthen strategic cooperation in the areas of diplomacy and security and to collaborate in responding to common regional issues.

2. At the upcoming meeting, the two sides will exchange views on various ways for cooperation in the fields of diplomacy and security such as non-proliferation, cybersecurity and counter-terrorism; the situation on the Korean Peninsula and North Korean nuclear issues; and regional situations and the reinforcement of cooperation in regional consultative mechanisms.

○ Furthermore, the two sides will have discussions on ways for strategic cooperation between the ROK’s New Southern Policy and Australia’s Indo-Pacific strategy discussed at the ROK-Australia Summit which was held on the occasion of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2019.

3. The forthcoming meeting is expected to serve as an opportunity to deepen cooperation in the fields of diplomacy and security with Australia, the ROK’s traditional partner since the Korean War, sharing strategic understanding of the region.

4. During her visit to Australia, Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang, Kyung-wha will have a bilateral meeting with Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne. At the bilateral meeting, the two Foreign Ministers will discuss various agendas such as ways to strengthen bilateral relations, substantive cooperation in the areas of people-to-people exchanges, infrastructure, resources and energy, and cooperation on the global stage.

○ The upcoming Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, coming about two years after the previous one in October 2017, will be held for the first time after the inauguration of Foreign Minister Payne (August 2018).