Security cooperation between South Korea and Australia has increased in recent years. What has been driving this increasingly enhanced security cooperation between the two states, which are about 7,500 km apart from each other? This article approaches the question from the angle of minilateral security cooperation, which has been growing in the Asia–Pacific. It is relatively easier to build minilateral security cooperation upon an existing bilateral alliance relationship or strategic partnership. This practice has been led in the Asia–Pacific by the United States, which has been maintaining the so-called hub-and-spoke alliance network and expanding its security interactions with non-allied states. It is in this vein that this article locates security cooperation between the two US allies, South Korea and Australia, in the larger context of the US-led minilateral security network in the Asia–Pacific. After observing that South Korea and Australia have been enhancing their security cooperation, the article looks into those states' stances on the US attempt to facilitate security linkage among its Asia–Pacific allies. Then, the article examines the (un)desirability and (im)possibility of developing trilateral or quadrilateral security cooperation among South Korea, Australia, the United States and Japan. It claims that the expectation of a US-led minilateral security cooperation being developed is a key reason for the recent enhancement of bilateral security cooperation between South Korea and Australia. Lastly, it discusses some issues to consider in further promoting South Korea–Australia security cooperation in the context of US-led minilateral security cooperation.

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韩澳安全合作：双边还是小边？

近年来，韩国与澳大利亚的安全合作有所增加。是什么推动了两国相距约 7,500 公里的日益加强的安全合作？本文从在亚太地区不断发展的小边安全合作的角度来探讨这个问题。在现有双边联盟关系或战略伙伴关系基础上建立小边安全合作相对容易。这种做法在亚太地区由美国主导，美国一直在维护所谓的轴辐式联盟网络，并扩大与非盟国的安全互动。正是在这种情况下，本文将美国的两个盟友韩国和澳大利亚之间的安全合作定位，在美国领导的亚太小边安全网络的更大背景下。在观察到韩国和澳大利亚一直在加强安全合作后，本文探讨了这些国家对美国试图促进其亚太盟友之间的安全联系的立场。然后，本文考察了韩国、澳大利亚、美国和日本之间发展三边或四边安全合作的（不）可取性和（不）可能性。它声称，对美国主导的小边安全合作的期待是近期韩澳双边安全合作得到加强的一个关键原因。最后，