SEOUL  South Korea and Australia’s defence chiefs agreed on Tuesday to step up defence cooperation, South Korea’s defence ministry said.

Korean Defence Minister Lee Jong-sup met his Australian counterpart Richard Marles on the sidelines of the inaugural South Korea-Pacific Islands Summit in Seoul.

Lee expressed the South Korean military’s willingness to join the Indo-Pacific Endeavor - an Australian-led multinational military drill, as well as Operation Render Safe - an underwater anti-mine drill in the Pacific.

The two countries also agreed to hold working-level meetings as part of steps to revise a memorandum of understanding signed in 2011, aimed at enhancing defence industry cooperation.

  - Reuters