South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Jin Yong-sung and Australia's top military officer, Adm. Mark Hammond, held a phone call on Tuesday to discuss regional security and agreed to strengthen bilateral defence ties. The two officers assessed threats in the Indo-Pacific, including North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes, and committed to expanding joint exercises and personnel exchanges. The talks underscore growing defence alignment between Seoul and Canberra, with South Korea recognising Australia as a core security partner and fellow contributor to stability on the Korean Peninsula since the 1950–53 Korean War.