South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol met with Australia's Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles Tuesday and discussed bilateral cooperation in defense and the Indo-Pacific region.

The South Korean President expressed hope the two countries, as key partners in the Indo-Pacific, will work together to expand cooperation with Pacific island nations, South Korea's (Yonhap) news agency quoted presidential spokesperson Lee Do-woon as saying.

For his part, Marles said that Australia hopes to take bilateral defense cooperation one step further in line with the changing security environment and looks forward to South Korea's advanced defense companies playing a greater role in enhancing Australia's defense capabilities, according to Lee.

Source: Qatar News Agency