Australia's relationship with South Korea

A billion-dollar weapons contract is significant but there's much more to do

Moon is the first world leader to visit Australia since the COVID pandemic began and the federal government shut the country’s borders.

The two countries have signed a billion-dollar weapons contract, which has dominated the headlines in Australia. But while this contract is significant, it is only a very small step - there is much more to do.

A relationship on the back burner

Australia and South Korea haven’t really paid attention to the relationship in recent years. It’s basically been ignored for at least a decade, if not longer.

The problem is, the relationship is a victim of its own success. Australia and South Korea have a highly complimentary trade relationship and there are no major problems. As a result, they’ve just let it linger.

This means they are starting from an empty chair in terms of improving the relationship, so this visit is an important first step.

In South Korea, not many people think about Australia. There isn’t an option for students to focus on Australia in high sch…