South Korea and the United States are forming a new vice-minister-level joint defense science and technology executive committee to advance emerging technologies and prepare the East Asian nation for participation in Pillar 2 of the AUKUS trilateral security partnership.
South Korean Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun announced the proposed committee while he was in Washington for a bilateral security meeting with U.S. Defense Sedretary Lloyd Austin. According to the visiting official, the plan is to establish the executive committee within the year “to explore the application of cutting-edge science and technology in the defense sector.”
“Furthermore, we acknowledge the significance of securing supply chain resilience and modernizing alliance capabilities and pledge to engage in active cooperation in the defense industry sector,” Kim said at a joint press briefing.
At the same press conference, Austin stressed the U.S.’ commitment to its 70-year-old alliance with South Korea amid reports of possible North Korean involvement in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine.
“Putin will not prevail in Ukraine even with more help from North Korea, but these deeply concerning developments only underscore the importance of our alliance with the ROK and other allies and partners committed to shared security and prosperity,” the Pentagon chief said, referring to the South’s official name, Republic of Korea.
The collaboration aligns with the Pentagon’s S&T strategy to step up innovation — focusing on critical technology areas such as autonomous systems, artificial intelligence and quantum science — by improving partnerships with international allies from research to acquisition.
The AUKUS cooperation between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States aims to improve each nation’s capability to support security and defense interests. Government ministers have suggested expanding Pillar 2 activities to include allied partners, notably Japan and South Korea, Canada and New Zealand.