Australia and South Korea sign defense deal as leaders meet

Australia and South Korea have signed a $720 million defense deal as South Korean President Moon Jae-in became the first foreign leader to visit Australia since the pandemic began

CANBERRA, Australia -- Australia and South Korea signed a $720 million defense deal Monday as South Korean President Moon Jae-in became the first foreign leader to visit Australia since the pandemic began.

Worth about $1 billion in Australian dollars, the deal will see South Korean defense company Hanwha provide the Australian army with artillery weapons, supply vehicles and radars.

Moon also confirmed South Korea isn’t considering joining the U.S.-led diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics, and said North Korea was holding up efforts to declare a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War.

The defense contract is the largest struck between Australia and an Asian nation, and comes at a time of heightened tensions between Australia and China. Australia recently announced a deal to build nuclear-powered submarines in a partnership with the U.S. and Britain — a move that China has strongly condemned.