First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun held talks with Australian Ambassador to Seoul James Choi on Monday and discussed bilateral cooperation related to the economy and vaccine development, the foreign ministry said.
  
In the meeting, they expressed hope that the two countries will continue to enhance cooperation in the post-COVID-19 era, especially in such fields as a hydrogen-based economy, the ministry said in a release.
  
They also held out expectations that cooperation in vaccine development, between private sectors as well as the two countries' participation in the COVAX Facility, will soon bear fruit in the battle against the pandemic. 
  
The COVAX Facility is a World Health Organization (WHO)-led multilateral initiative aimed at securing equitable vaccine availability. South Korea and Australia are among the 14 countries that have formed a consultative "Friends" group so as to facilitate the launch of the mechanism as a multilateral platform. (Yonhap)