SEOUL– South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup departed for Singapore on Thursday to attend an annual security forum, where North Korea’s military threats, Russia’s war in Ukraine and China’s assertiveness are expected to take center stage.
The three-day Shangri-La Dialogue is scheduled to open Friday, with the attendance of senior officials from more than 40 countries, including the United States, China, Britain, Australia, Canada, Japan and Ukraine, according to Seoul officials.
The forum consists of seven key plenary sessions, including those on the U.S.’ Indo-Pacific strategy, China’s vision for regional order, military modernization and the management of “geopolitical competition in a multipolar region.”
During Sunday’s sixth session on “common challenges” in the Asia-Pacific and Europe, Lee plans to explain the Yoon Suk-yeol administration’s policy on North Korea and its Indo-Pacific strategy framework currently in the making.
Seoul’s envisioned Indo-Pacific strategy is expected to entail more comprehensive elements for regional security, economic and diplomatic cooperation beyond its previous focus on deepening ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, observers said.
On the margins of the forum, Lee is set to hold bilateral and trilateral meetings with his counterparts.
On Saturday, Lee is scheduled to meet bilaterally with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, and attend trilateral talks with Austin and Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi. Lee and Kishi have no plan to hold bilateral talks, according to the officials.
During the forum, Lee also plans to meet bilaterally with his counterparts from China, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore, the Netherlands and the European Union.
The back-to-back talks are expected to focus on cooperation in coping with the North’s evolving nuclear and missile threats.
Last weekend, the North fired eight short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea in its 18th show of force this year. The latest provocation came amid speculation the North could conduct what will be its seventh nuclear test at its Punggye-ri testing site.
The Shangri-La Dialogue, launched in 2002, is hosted by a British research institute, the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Source: Yonhap News Agency