SYDNEY - Pacific island leaders will meet South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol in Seoul on Monday.
Australia’s Defence Minister Richard Marles will attend the first Korea-Pacific Islands Summit, his office said on Saturday, adding it would show cooperation between the 18 members of the Pacific Island Forum and South Korea for a secure region. South Korea is Australia’s third-largest export market, with trade dominated by exports of gas and coal.Australia and New Zealand are the largest members of the Pacific forum, a bloc of mostly small island countries at risk from rising sea levels caused by climate change and reliant on aid from development partners.
The back-to-back meetings with major economies were a “massive boost for recognition of our priorities”, said Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General Henry Puna in a statement.