Australia-Korea relations are about commerce, not strategy
Australian strategists suffer from a similar disconnect that affects their counterparts in the US
South Korea’s Defence Minister Lee Jong-sup made a brief visit to Australia in early August to meet his Australian counterpart Richard Marles. Topics discussed included defence links, regional security, and defence material cooperation. The visit included the perfunctory visit to the Korean War Memorial, talks with the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), and a visit to Geelong, the site for a Hanwha Defence factory, building the Korean-designed K9 self-propelled howitzer for the Australian army. For some in Australia, the visit presented evidence of converging strategic interests. They’re wrong.
It's easy to see why Australian commentators fall into the trap. Successive Australian governments have promoted the narrative of shared strategic interests. As the country brief on the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) website states, Australia and South Korea share “common strategic interests, including our alliances with the United States, and our commitment to a stabl…