About the roundtable

On 30 September 2026, Curtin University’s Korea Research and Engagement Centre and the Australian Studies Association of Korea co-hosted a Track 1.5 academic roundtable at Yonsei University. The discussion explored how Australia and South Korea, as middle powers, can work together more closely. Dr Alica Kizekova, Deputy Director of KRC, delivered the keynote.

Academics, students and members of the diplomatic community discussed Indo-Pacific security, maritime cooperation, critical supply chains, artificial intelligence, academic exchange and cultural diplomacy. The roundtable also contributed to a collaborative book project on middle-state agency and Australia–South Korea relations.

Contributors included Professor Heejin Lee, Professor Claire Wonnie Jo, Dr Yoon Jung Choi and Dr Chansong Cameron Lee. Martin Walker, Minister and Deputy Head of Mission at the Australian Embassy in Seoul, and H.E. Youngki Hong, former Korean Ambassador to the Czech Republic, also joined the discussion.