South Korea and Australia will hold their joint meeting of foreign and defense ministers this week to discuss tightening bilateral collaboration in the security and defense sectors, the Ministry of National Defense said Monday.

The so-called two-plus-two dialogue set for Friday will bring together Defense Minister Han Min-koo, Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se and their Aussie counterparts, Kevin Andrews and Julie Bishop, in Sydney, according to a news release from the ministry.
 
The forthcoming event marks South Korea's second biannual two-plus-two meeting with Australia, one of only two partners for the security dialogue platform. The U.S. is the other country.

The latest state of security in their region and the Korean Peninsula will be discussed, along with ways to upgrade bilateral cooperation in the defense and security segments, according to the ministry.

Separately, Han will hold talks with the Australian defense minister to forge a deal on military education exchanges, the ministry noted.

Han will depart for Australia on Thursday for a six-day trip, which will also include a visit to the Philippines.

On the second leg of the trip, Han will hold talks with his Philippine counterpart, Voltaire Gazmin, and pay a courtesy visit to President Benigno Aquino.South Korea will request the Philippines' support and cooperation on issues that are ongoing between the countries, the ministry said, without elaborating.

In Australia, Foreign Minister Yun plans to hold separate talks with Bishop to discuss issues of mutual concern, according to his ministry.

He will then fly to New Zealand for bilateral talks with his counterpart, Murray McCully, during which the two sides are expected to exchange views on trade, regional issues and cooperation on the international stage, the ministry said in a press release.

Yun will also pay a courtesy call on New Zealand Prime Minister John Key.On the last leg of his trip, the foreign minister will visit Fiji for talks with his counterpart, Inoke Kubuabola, on a wide range of issues, including business, development, maritime cooperation and climate change. (Yonhap)