South Korea AUKUS: Only a few weeks after the agreement stated it would potentially include Japan, South Korea has held discussions about becoming a part of the AUKUS defence pact between the United States, Britain, and Australia, according to Defense Minister Shin Won-sik on Wednesday.
AUKUS is a two-phase security agreement that was formed in 2021 to offset China’s increasing influence in the Asia Pacific area.
“We also discussed the possibility of partnering with AUKUS pillar two during today’s meeting,” Shin Won-sik stated, alluding to an agreement centred on the advancement of hypersonic weapons, drones, and other cutting-edge technologies.
Shin was speaking during a defence and foreign ministers’ meeting in Melbourne between South Korea and Australia.
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AUKUS was founded in 2021 with two primary objectives: “Pillar one” intends to supply Australia with an attack submarine fleet that is nuclear-powered. That initiative is not anticipated to include South Korea.
“Pillar two” is devoted to creating cutting-edge weaponry for warfare, including hypersonic missiles, underwater drones, and artificial intelligence.
According to Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, Japan, South Korea, and New Zealand are all reportedly being considered for participation.
Shin expressed his happiness at his nation being taken into consideration to “enhance regional peace”.
“There’s no denying that Korea possesses extremely advanced technology,” stated Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles. “So as AUKUS pillar two develops, I think there will be opportunities in the future” .
Seoul boasts one of the biggest and most sophisticated military in the area, despite being bordered by North Korea.
“We do welcome that AUKUS members are considering Korea as an AUKUS pillar two partner,” Shin said. “Korea’s defence, science and technology capabilities will contribute to peace and stability, (and to) the development of AUKUS pillar two.”
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As per Space daily, China has been a staunch opponent of AUKUS, believing that the agreement will cause split in Asia and put nuclear proliferation at risk.
Beijing has made an effort to weaken US sway throughout the Pacific in recent years.
In response, Washington has attempted to strengthen ties amongst allies by arranging a complex web of bilateral and multilateral agreements.
