S. Korean and Australian summits pledge alliance in energy and resource tech

[Photo by Lee Seung-hwan]

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese agreed on partnership in green energy and high-tech technology in their first bilateral talks on the sidelines of the 2022 North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Summit conference in Madrid, Spain, according to the Korean presidential office Wednesday.

The two summits have been invited to the annual NATO conference as non-member partner states from Asia Pacific together with Japan and New Zealand. It is the first time a South Korean leader joined the transatlantic security summit, and also Yoon’s debut on the international political stage since taking office in May.

Albanese vowed to back Seoul in its endeavors on North Korean denuclearization and peace of the Korean Peninsula based on democracy and market economy values, while responding favorably to support the Busan city of South Korea to host the 2030 World Expo, the presidential office said.

Yoon will focus on the NATO momentum to strengthen ties on energy and high-tech supply chain with European and Asia-Pacific democracy allies amid shortage of natural resources from the protracted Russia-Ukraine war, said Choi Sang-mok, senior presidential secretary for economic affairs, told reporters.

He holds summit talks with Poland on Wednesday and the Czech Republic on Thursday, where he will be pitching South Korean nuclear reactor technology for their procurement projects.

He will also meet with leaders of United Kingdom, Romania, and the Netherlands who are also eagerly pursuing reactor projects for energy security and carbon goals.

Alliance on chip and battery as well as other high-tech supplies will be another key agenda during individual bilateral talks, said Choi.

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