Defense minister to attend regional summit to discuss NK nuclear, regional issues

South Korea's defense chief will leave for Singapore early next month to attend a regional security meeting where he will exchange views on North Korea's nuclear provocation and other mutual issues, Seoul's officials said Wednesday.

Defense Minister Han Min-koo will join the Asia Security Summit to be held from June 3-5 in Singapore, according to the defense ministry. The summit, also known as the Shangri-La Dialogue, is an annual security meeting organized by the International Institute of Strategic Studies.

The meeting will be attended by defense ministers and other security experts from China, Japan, Russia, the United States and several European countries.

Han is to deliver a speech at a plenary session, explaining South Korea's stance on how to seek global coordination to get North Korea to give up its nuclear ambitions, the ministry said.

He also plans to share his views on how to carry out defense policy in the face of increasing "unconventional" threats to security such as terrorism, natural disasters and cyberattacks.

On the sidelines of the three-day gathering, Han plans to meet with defense ministers of the U.S., Japan, China, France and Switzerland.

The policymaker, in addition, plans to hold three-way talks with his counterparts from the U.S. and Japan to discuss the North's nuclear and other pending issues, the ministry said. (Yonhap)