By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
Defense Minister Lee Sang-hee will leave for Singapore today to attend an annual security forum among Asian nations and others, which will bring top defense officials and experts from the Asia-Pacific region together, the Ministry of National Defense said Thursday.
On the sidelines of the three-day meeting, the Asia Security Summit, also known as the Shangri-La Dialogue, Lee will hold bilateral talks with his counterparts from six nations ― Japan, the United Kingdom, France, Singapore, Australia and Mongolia ― to discuss issues of mutual concern, it said in a news release.
There is no schedule yet for talks between Lee and U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, who will visit South Korea June 2 as part of his Asian tour, a ministry spokesman said.
The minister will also meet with U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman and Ma Xizotian, deputy chief of the General Staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, during the May 30-June 1 meeting, according to the release.
``Minister Lee will ask the international community to support and cooperate with South Korea's defense policies, while giving a keynote speech during a plenary session of Making Defense Policy in Uncertain Times,'' it said.
The summit is the largest defense and security conference in the region. The London-based think tank International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) is sponsoring the 7th Shangri-La to be convened at the Shangri-La Hotel.
Since the inaugural meeting in 2002, the dialogue has grown into a must-attend venue for defense ministers not just in Asia but for military and diplomatic leaders from Europe and the U.S.
``The dialogue also provides a forum for legislators, analysts, academics and business people to engage with senior officials in a manner that animates fresh policy thinking and innovative solutions to global challenges,'' stated an IISS press release.
This year, confirmed delegations attending include Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Canada, China, East Timor, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, NATO, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States and Vietnam.