Moon’s Australia trip highlights Seoul’s dilemmas

Significance

In raw materials, their needs complement each other: Canberra seeks reliable markets for raw materials; Seoul has supply concerns. Although Australia is much more open about expressing concerns about China, South Korea shares many of them in private.

Impacts

• South Korea will neither join the Quad nor boycott the Beijing Winter Olympics.
• Plans to cooperate on ‘green steel’, using hydrogen, may prove expensive and difficult.
• A formal peace treaty with North Korea is not coming any time soon, contrary to Moon's claims.