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| 2026-04-12 08:00:02
(Yonhap Interview) Australian ambassador
(Yonhap Interview) S. Korea, Australia on 'separate but parallel' paths in nuclear-powered submarines push: top Australian envoy
By Kim Seung-yeon
SEOUL, April 12 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's drive for nuclear-powered submarines and Australia's program for the vessels are separate but moving in parallel, with both needing to ensure international trust in their peaceful nature, the top Australian envoy has said.
Ambassador Jeff Robinson made the remarks, explaining that the tripartite AUKUS security pact among Australia, Britain and the United States is distinct from Seoul's arrangement with Washington.
"Korea's own aspirations for a nuclear-propelled submarine capability are between Korea (and the U.S.) primarily with assistance from the United States," Robinson said in an interview with Yonhap News Agency on Thursday.
"(It's) a separate U.S.-Korea endeavor ... but we are on parallel paths," he said.
AUKUS, announced in 2021 and signed in 2024, has paved the way for Australia to have its own nuclear-powered submarines with the support of U.S. nuclear propulsion technology, enabled by a U.S. exemption allowing the transfer of sensitive nuclear material for the program. The AUKUS pact is often seen as a possible benchmark for Seoul's future agreement with Washington.
Robinson said Canberra has been keen to demonstrate transparency in meeting international nonproliferation standards and to reassure the international community that it is "not a cover for an illicit nuclear weapons program," an issue that Seoul may also have to address once its own project gets under way.
"Korea has been very supportive of Australia's efforts," he said. "With Korea now actively (pursuing) its own nuclear-propelled submarine, I envisage that cooperation in support of Korea's program in pushing back against misrepresenting narratives. We will continue to work very closely in a very concrete way."
The Middle East crisis and de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz have revealed how closely South Korea and Australia are aligned in responses to shared challenges and how interdependent they are as energy security partners, Robinson said.
"Whatever the statements that come out of the Australian, Korean governments could almost be written in the other's capital," he said.
Both countries have called for de-escalation and an end to the conflict, joining a Britain-led ministerial meeting to advance these efforts and help reopen the vital waterway where thousands of ships remain stranded, disrupting global energy supplies.
"Underpinning that is a recognition that Australia and Korea are mutually dependent energy security partners," he said.
In recent years, South Korea's defense export contracts with the Australian Army, including the K9 self-propelled howitzers (AS9 Huntsman) and Redback infantry fighting vehicles, have reflected another chapter of the deepening ties between the two countries.
Australia has also long maintained a presence on the Korean Peninsula through the United Nations Command, which oversees the Armistice Agreement that halted the 1950-53 Korean War, Robinson said.
Building on this track record of cooperation, he said he hopes the next step will be to establish a bilateral framework.
"The development of a legal framework to underpin bilateral Australia-Korea military cooperation, defense industry cooperation is really important going forward," he said. "We're keen to do more on a bilateral basis with Korea. ... It's something that's on the agenda for both countries."
This year marks another milestone in their ties as the two countries commemorate the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations.
The Australian Embassy is moving away from traditional celebrations that typically center on formal receptions with dignitaries. Instead, it has launched "The Australia-Korea Bridged by People," an online program spotlighting individuals from all walks of life who have engaged with both cultures.
Through video interviews and short clips, the series highlights their shared experiences across the two countries.
"We want to recognize the role of people in the Australia-Korea partnership," Robinson said.
As ambassador, his affinity for the host country has been not merely professional but deeply personal. His first visit to what was then a far lesser known Asian country came in 1984, when he was a university student who had befriended many Koreans.
"I realized that Koreans are very warm and hospitable, very sentimental, in many ways quite similar to Australians," he said.
Robinson returned to Seoul three times as a diplomat, including in his current posting as ambassador.
His "biggest regret," he added, is that his career spanning the two countries has been limited to just a few decades, far shorter than the roots of a bilateral relationship stretching back much further.
"I would love to be ambassador here for 20 years, but I can't, right?" he said. "So I do what I can with the embassy team and with all of the other people on both sides to take it forward a step.
"I'm very optimistic about our future together, not just the opportunities, but the importance for both countries to work together."
(END)
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