SYDNEY/SEOUL– President Moon Jae-in met with Australian business leaders on Tuesday and called for greater cooperation in securing stable supply chains.
The meeting was held in Sydney as part of the president’s ongoing four-day state visit to the country and brought together people from Australia’s critical minerals industry.
“If South Korea and Australia trust each other and firmly hold hands, we will contribute greatly to stabilizing supply chains and accelerating carbon neutrality,” Moon said.
Moon noted that Australia is critical in the global supply chain as the sixth most resource-rich nation in the world, while South Korea is another pillar in the chain as a competitive manufacturer of secondary batteries and electric vehicle semiconductors.
The president added that South Korea is the third-biggest importer of Australian minerals, while South Korea imports half of its minerals from Australia.
Simon Crean, chair of the Australia-Korea Business Council, said the council’s members are encouraged by the two countries’ cooperation and hope to become South Korea’s chosen partner in overcoming common challenges in supply chains.
Earlier Tuesday, Moon met with Australia’s opposition leader Anthony Albanese and asked for the country’s continued support for Seoul’s efforts to bring lasting peace to the Korean Peninsula.
Moon mentioned that he and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison agreed the previous day to elevate the bilateral relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership and expressed hope for strengthened cooperation in future high-tech industries, among other areas.
He also asked that Albanese’s Australian Labor Party take an interest in and support the Korean community’s settlement and growth in the country.
Welcoming Moon, Albanese pledged to actively cooperate to further develop the two countries’ relations based on their shared values of democracy and a market economy.
He conveyed Australia’s respect for Seoul’s efforts until now to foster peace on the Korean Peninsula and expressed his enthusiastic support for the campaign for denuclearization and peace.
Source: Yonhap News Agency