Defense ministry to host global forum next week
By Jun Ji-hye
The Ministry of National Defense will host a global security forum in Seoul next month to discuss evolving threats from North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs as well as other challenging issues such as maritime disputes and cyber terrorism.
The ministry said Wednesday that the Seoul Defense Dialogue (SDD) will begin Sept. 6 for a three-day run at the Westin Chosun Hotel in central Seoul.
The SDD is an annual multilateral dialogue of vice minister-level defense officials and security experts, aimed at examining ways of better coping with various threats facing the international community.
This year marks the 6th time the SDD has been held.
“The topic for the SDD 2017 is ‘Visions for Security Cooperation in an Age of Uncertainty,’” said Vice Defense Minister Suh Choo-suk during a briefing. “Defense officials and experts from 38 countries and four international organizations will participate this time.”
Vice defense ministers from Germany, Italy and Finland will attend the forum for the first time, the ministry said, adding that Australian Defense Minister Marise Payne is scheduled to deliver a keynote speech at the opening ceremony.
There will be four plenary sessions on issues including the North Korean nuclear issues, maritime disputes and cyber security as well as international cooperation in counter-terrorism.
Participants in the plenary sessions include Seoul’s First Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam, Vice Defense Minister Suh and 7th U.S. Air Force Commander Lt. Gen. Thomas Bergeson as well as Daniel R. Russel who served as the U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs.
The two special sessions will deal with issues related to the fourth industrial revolution and defense technologies, and a paradigm shift to future warfare.
On the sidelines of the forum, a variety of bilateral and multilateral talks will take place to build trust and friendship between defense officials from participating nations.
Suh will attend a meeting with vice defense ministers from ASEAN member countries in an effort to contribute to establishing peace and stability in the region, the ministry noted. ASEAN refers to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, consisting of 10 members _ Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.
China is unlikely to attend the forum for the second year in a row as the country has yet to reply to an invitation by South Korea.
A representative from Beijing had participated in the SDD from 2012 to 2015, but was not present last year in an apparent protest against Seoul’s decision to host a U.S. anti-missile system, the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery.
China has been strongly protesting the decision, claiming the system’s radar could be used to spy on its military activities, although Seoul and Washington has insisted THAAD is only designed to deter growing nuclear and missile threats from the North.