Korea to host intl. defense forum next week

South Korea said Wednesday it will host a vice-ministerial defense forum next week largely on North Korea, cybersecurity and anti-terrorism efforts.

The three-day Seoul Defense Dialogue, the sixth of its kind, is to open Wednesday at the Westin Chosun hotel in the country's capital, according to the Ministry of National Defense.

With the theme "Visions for Security Cooperation in an Age of Uncertainty," the annual conference will bring together government officials and experts from 38 countries and four international organizations, the ministry said.

Australian Defense Minister Marise Payne is scheduled to deliver a keynote speech. Other participants include about a dozen vice minister-level officials.
 

China is expected to send a civilian delegation of security experts.

In the first plenary session slated for Thursday, Daniel Russel, a senior researcher at the Asia Society Policy Institute, will moderate discussions on North Korea's missile and nuclear threats and the security vision for the Korean Peninsula.

He served as the US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs. He will be joined by South Korea's Vice Defense Minister Suh Choo-suk, Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam and Lt. Gen. Thomas Bergeson, 7th US Air Force commander.

On the first day, South Korea plans to have a separate vice defense ministerial meeting with ASEAN member states.

During two special sessions, participants will talk about the fourth industrial revolution and a related defense policy direction.

This year's SDD comes as the North has ratcheted up regional tensions with a host of ballistic missile launches.

Launched in 2012, the forum is modeled after the Asia Security Summit, better known as the Shanggri-La Dialogue, held in Singapore each year.

In the inaugural year, only 15 nations joined the Seoul event.

The South's defense ministry said it will make constant efforts to raise the SDD's international stature so that it can advance to become a global security forum beyond the Asia-Pacific region. (Yonhap)