S. Korea opens annual int'l security forum to discuss 'challenges, vision for peace'

SEOUL, Sept. 4 (Yonhap) -- An annual international security forum hosted by South Korea's defense ministry kicked off in Seoul on Wednesday for discussions on situations on the Korean Peninsula and the surrounding region, as well as peacekeeping operations and cybersecurity. The eighth vice-ministerial Seoul Defense Dialogue (SDD), set to run for three days until Friday, brought together hundreds of officials and experts from around 50 countries and two international organizations, including the United Nations, according to the defense ministry. On the first day, two sessions of the Cyber Working Group (CWG) were to take place. As a multilateral dialogue institution, the CWG was launched in 2013 for defense officials to share their views and experiences in coping with security challenges in cyberspace. This year, their focus will be changing international norms on cybersecurity and policy measures to enhance cyber capacity and the workforce management, the ministry said. On the sidelines of the forum, Seoul is scheduled to have vice ministerial talks with representatives from five Central Asian countries in a multilateral format later in the day. The meeting is designed to discuss ways to enhance security cooperation and to support the government's initiative of the New Northern Policy, according to the ministry. Talks with 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries are also planned to share the assessment of their 30 years of cooperation and discuss ways to further improve the ties, it added. The forum's opening ceremony is to be held Thursday. At the ceremony, Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon will make opening remarks, which is to be followed by a key note speech by Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, according to the ministry. Several discussion sessions will be held Thursday and Friday, during which participants will discuss the peace process and arms control on the Korean Peninsula, as well as security issues in Northeast Asia, ASEAN countries and the Middle East. In addition, separate bilateral meetings are planned with around 15 nations, including Canada, Uzbekistan, Singapore, Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia, to explore ways to boost bilateral defense cooperation, the ministry added. The SDD was launched in 2012 with the participation of vice ministerial defense officials and civilian security experts. It is designed to help enhance confidence building among countries and ease military tensions on the peninsula. "I hope the SDD 2019 would serve as a stage to share visions and substantial resolutions to resolve international security issues," Vice Defense Minister Park Jae-min said, vowing efforts to provide participating entities a chance to build confidence and promote security cooperation. graceoh@yna.co.kr (END)