By Joo Sang-Min
Defense Minister Yoon Kwang-ung yesterday left for a trip that will take him to Australia for bilateral defense talks and Singapore where he will meet with U.S. and Japan counterparts to discuss North Korea`s nuclear weapons program.
In the first visit by a South Korean defense chief to Australia, Yoon is scheduled to meet Defense Minister Robert Hill to discuss ways to fight terrorism and to develop their defense industries, Defense Ministry officials said.
Yoon is also to pay a call on Foreign Minister Alexander Downer and seek Australian support for a peaceful settlement of a nuclear dispute over North Korea`s nuclear ambitions.
After his Australia trip, Seoul`s top defense policymaker will leave on June 2 for Singapore to attend the Asia Security Conference called the Shangri-La meeting.
Yoon will give a speech on South Korea`s view on weapons of mass destruction in the Asia-Pacific region and call for the international community`s support for Seoul`s position to end North Korea`s nuclear activities through diplomacy.
The security talks, organized by London-based think thank International Institute for Strategic Studies, will cover topics such as the U.S.-led war on terrorism, ways to tackle the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and India and China`s emerging roles in regional security.
A total of 18 ministerial officials will be representing their countries: Korea, Australia, Cambodia, Canada, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, the United Kingdom and the United States.
On June 3, Yoon will meet Donald Rumsfeld and Japanese defense chiefs and Yoshinori Ono to discuss the military alliance and the North Korean nuclear dispute.
