South Korea and Australia have agreed to further strengthen their friendly ties as they prepare to mark the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations next year, Seoul's foreign ministry said Saturday.
The agreement was part of discussions between South Korea's acting foreign minister Shin Kak-soo and Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd in New York on the sidelines of the U.N. General Meeting on Friday (local time), it said.
South Korea currently has no foreign minister after Yu Myung-hwan resigned earlier this month, holding himself responsible for ethical lapses related to the hiring of his daughter by his ministry.
During the New York meeting with Rudd, Shin also expressed gratitude for Australia's participation in a multilateral probe into the sinking of one of South Korea's warships in March, the ministry said in a news release.
The multilateral probe, also participated in by the U.S., Britain and Sweden, concluded in May that the sinking near the Yellow Sea border was blamed on a North Korean torpedo.
North korea has denied any responsibility.