Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul has met with students studying Korean language at the University of Melbourne during his visit to Australia, his office said Thursday.

Following bilateral talks with his Australian counterpart, Penny Wong, in Melbourne as part of a “two plus two” meeting of foreign and defense ministers Wednesday (local time), Cho met with students participating in a Korean teacher training program.

During the meeting, Cho discussed the beauty of Korean literature by reciting a poem written by his late father, Cho Ji-hoon, called “To My Illness,” both in Korean and English, the foreign ministry said in a press release.

The senior Cho is one of the most influential figures in South Korea’s modern poetry community. He is also renowned for his extensive research on Korean cultural history.

The minister encouraged students wishing to become Korean language teachers for their hard work, citing the difficulty of the language.

Wong also expressed hope for more cultural and human exchanges between th
e countries, saying the university is set to launch a Korean department in July.

Australia is the only country with which South Korea holds regular talks of foreign and defense chiefs besides the United States. The next two plus two talks will take place in South Korea in 2026.

Source: Yonhap News Agency