10 Years of Seoul Security Dialogue... Security Experts from 54 Countries Gathered in One Place

Resuming After 3 Years Due to COVID-19 Impact... Dutch Minister's First Keynote Speech

On the 5th, at the 2019 Seoul Security Dialogue held at Lotte Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, attendees including Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo, Indian Defense Minister Raj Nath Singh, and Commander of United States Forces Korea Robert Abrams are taking a commemorative photo. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The Seoul Defense Dialogue (SDD), celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, will be held in Seoul for three days from the 6th to the 8th. The Seoul Defense Dialogue is a high-level multilateral security dialogue in the defense sector launched in 2012 to contribute to peace on the Korean Peninsula and the promotion of security cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region.

According to the Ministry of National Defense on the 6th, Minister of National Defense Lee Jong-seop will deliver the opening address at the opening ceremony held at 9 a.m. on the 7th, followed by a welcome speech by Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, and joint keynote speeches by Kim Sung-han, Director of the National Security Office, and Kajsa Ollongren, Minister of Defense of the Netherlands. Mayor Oh will send a welcome message as the first-ever host city mayor of Seoul to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Seoul Defense Dialogue, and Director Kim will introduce the government's diplomatic and security policies. Minister Ollongren will be the first European defense minister to deliver a keynote speech at the Seoul Defense Dialogue.

This year’s conference will be attended by defense officials from 54 countries and three international organizations including the United Nations, the European Union (EU), and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), as well as domestic and international civilian security experts to discuss global security issues.

A total of 16 defense officials from various countries, including Deputy Minister of National Defense Shin Beom-cheol, and deputy-level officials from Japan, Singapore, NATO, Estonia, Canada, Ghana, and Uganda, will participate as panelists in each session. In particular, Deputy Minister Shin will hold a side meeting with representatives of the four Asia-Pacific partners (AP4) on the 7th to discuss cooperation measures to continue the momentum of strengthening the alliance for the protection of values and norms formed at the four-nation summit during the NATO summit in June. The AP4 refers to the four major Asia-Pacific countries among NATO’s global partner countries: Korea, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.

Deputy Minister Shin is also scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting separately with Okamoto Masami (岡眞臣), Japan’s Defense Counselor (deputy minister level), on the 7th during the Seoul Defense Dialogue.

The Ministry of National Defense plans to enhance cooperation in the cyber and space sectors and lead international discussions on new security domains through the Cyber Working Group, resuming after three years, and the first-ever Space Security Working Group held this year.

In the first session of the plenary meeting, under the theme "Strategic International Cooperation and Approaches for the Complete Denuclearization of North Korea," moderated by Choi Kang, President of the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, Deputy Minister Shin, Defense Counselor Okamoto Masami, and officials and experts from the U.S., NATO, and the EU will participate in the discussion. In the second session of the plenary meeting, in line with the government’s Indo-Pacific strategic vision, the Seoul Defense Dialogue will hold its first-ever "Indo-Pacific Security Session" to identify common security challenges in the Indo-Pacific region and listen to international recommendations on Korea’s expanded regional role.

Additionally, sessions highlighting emerging security issues such as hybrid warfare, peacekeeping operations, counterintelligence, defense science and technology, and the defense industry will be organized.

The Ministry of National Defense stated, "This year’s Seoul Defense Dialogue will not only promote global security cooperation but also serve as an opportunity to revitalize defense exchanges and cooperation among countries, which had stagnated due to COVID-19, through face-to-face discussions."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.