Vice Minister Kim Hong-kyun met with Tim Watts, the Australian Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs, on March 19 during his visit to Korea to attend the Ministerial Conference of the 3rd Summit for Democracy. They exchanged views on bilateral relations, and the Korean Peninsula, regional and international situations.

Vice Minister Kim appreciated that Korea and Australia, two leading democratic nations sharing similar visions for the Indo-Pacific region, have been closely cooperating in various fields such as the defense industry, energy, and cultural and people-to-people exchanges. He particularly appreciated Australia’s support for the recent smooth conclusion of the contract to export Korean next-generation infantry fighting vehicles to Australia, and commended the strategic cooperation between the two countries. In response, Assistant Minister Watts expressed agreement with Vice Minister Kim's remarks, highlighting Australia's strong emphasis on and commitment to enhancing cooperation with Korea.

Both sides agreed to continue fostering close high-level exchanges to further strengthen strategic communication and solidarity between the two countries. They pledged joint efforts to swiftly convene the 6th ROK-Australia Foreign and Defense Ministers’ 2+2 Meeting this year to deepen cooperation.

Furthermore, both expressed concerns about North Korea's nuclear and missile developments, its hostile rhetoric and provocations escalating tensions in the region, and illegal military cooperation between Russia and North Korea threatening global peace. They affirmed their resolve to firmly respond to North Korea's provocations and threats in close cooperation with the international community, while actively collaborating on denuclearization of North Korea, stopping military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, and improving human rights in North Korea.