On 30 September, ADM Group will launch the inaugural ADM Australia-Korea Defence Congress in Seoul.
With support from Australia’s former Minister for Defence Christopher Pyne, we hope to help build the relationship between Australia and South Korea as both countries face dynamic security challenges.
The case for closer ties
On 19 June, Russian leader Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un signed a defence pact that requires each country to come to the other’s aid in time of war.
South Korea is highly concerned: should conflict erupt on the peninsula, Russian forces will be involved. The two Koreas remain at war and the Korean peninsula is the most militarised international border on Earth.
In addition, according to US intelligence, Russia is providing vital aid to North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme in exchange for North Korean weapons for use in Ukraine. Russian supplies could greatly expand North Korea’s stockpile of ballistic missiles.
Consequently, Seoul is seeking to expand its own alliance network. Australia is a core focus given its historic participation in the Korean War and its on-going commitment to UN Command’s enforcement of sanctions against the North (Australia is the second-most active member behind the US).
Australia also offers geographic advantages as a secondary source of industrial supply to the Korean peninsula, should war break out.
Meanwhile, Australia is expanding its military capabilities to deter China from aggression towards Taiwan.
Whilst the flagship effort is the acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines under AUKUS, Australia also intends to develop a ‘focused’ defence force capable of denying an adversary access to maritime passageways through southeast Asian archipelagos.
For this Australia needs access to defence industrial capacity; and due to its history, South Korea boasts more defence industrial capacity than almost any other nation globally.
Moreover, both nations are key American allies facing uncertainty over Washington’s commitment to Asia (a consequence of domestic political turbulence in the US).
Lacking an Asian equivalent of NATO, Australia has looked to deepen partnerships with powerful Indo-Pacific states – notably Japan, with whom Canberra signed a reciprocal access agreement late last year (the first of its kind Japan has ever signed with a nation other than the US). Discussions are also underway for Japanese participation in AUKUS Pillar 2, which Seoul is also interested in.
The RAN’s acquisition of eleven general-purpose frigates under Sea 3000 – for which both Korean and Japanese companies have been shortlisted – is expected to be a major vector for such a strategic partnership.
Yet regardless of the outcome of Sea 3000, South Korea is an obvious partner for deeper defence cooperation. There is now a strong alignment between Australian and South Korean strategic interests.
Additionally, the deterrence value of Australia-Korean defence cooperation should not be underestimated: South Korea’s military is twice the size of Japan’s in terms of active personnel numbers and its reserve forces are several orders of magnitude larger, whilst Australia has possibly the most advantageous strategic geography in the Indo-Pacific.
A deeper relationship between Canberra and Seoul might also help bring South Korea and Japan into closer alignment. If so, Canberra could ambitiously pull the powerful democracies of the western Pacific – the US, Japan, Australia and South Korea – towards a more unified NATO-style alliance network.
The ADM Australia-Korea Defence Congress aims to contribute to those efforts.
ADM Australia-Korea Defence Congress and KADEX 2024
This one-day policy summit is being held in close cooperation with South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense, AusTrade, and the Korean Army International Defence Exposition (KADEX) 2024 - South Korea’s largest defence trade exposition - which runs from October 2 to October 6.
Delegates to the ADM Australia-Korea Defence Congress will also receive complimentary access to KADEX 2024.
KADEX 2024 will feature a huge range of South Korean industry giants, drawing not only from the defence sector but also from parallel industries such as rail, commercial shipbuilding and aerospace.
KADEX is officially endorsed by the South Korean Ministry of National Defence, the ROK Army, and the country’s powerful Defence Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA).
Over 70,000 visitors are expected through the doors, where they will visit over 500 exhibitors, 1600 booths and meet representatives from over 50 countries.
Having secured endorsement from DAPA, KADEX now represents South Korea’s sole ground force defence exposition. Interest is already high: Korean defence attachés globally have reported record levels of interest in attending.
The list of featured exhibitors is long and includes Korean industry behemoths such as Hanwha and Hyundai, as well as international companies such as Moog, Safran, Nokia, Embraer, Saab, Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) and KIA – many of which are looking to partner with Australian companies as they expand their overseas operations.
Korea’s defence exports stand at a record US$17.3 billion, hinting at the scale of commercial opportunities expected through the event and for years to come. The ROK Army will also use the event to hold meetings, outline expected technology trends, strategies and requirements for its land weaponry.
Australian representatives have been invited to attend events organised by the ROK Army headquarters to discuss bilateral defence industrial participation. The event itself will see attendance from South Korea’s Minister for National Defence, Chief of Staff, the head of DAPA, and invited foreign military commanders and ambassadors.
There is now a historic opportunity for the two sides to build closer ties. South Korea needs Australia's industrial geography; Australia needs South Korea's industrial capacity; both need like-minded allies.
And at this crucial moment, South Korea will host a landmark week of defence events – including the ADM Australia-Korea Defence Congress - between September 30 to October 6.
I hope to see you in Seoul.
More information is available at: www.admevents.com.au/adm-australia-korea-defence-congress.
