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| ▲ Defense Minister Shin Won-sik delivers an opening speech during the Seoul Defense Dialogue held in Seoul on Oct. 18, 2023. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ Participants of the 2023 Seoul Defense Dialogue pose for a photo during the forum held at Grand Inter Continental Seoul in the capital on Oct. 18, 2023. (Yonhap) |
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Defense chief urges int'l cooperation against N. Korea's nuclear development
By Kim Eun-jung
SEOUL, Oct. 18 (Yonhap) -- Defense Minister Shin Won-sik on Wednesday called for the international community's united response against North Korea's continued nuclear weapons development in a bid to make progress on the North's denuclearization.
Shin made the remark during the opening ceremony of the annual Seoul Defense Dialogue (SDD) hosted by the defense ministry, which provides a venue for talks on promoting peace and cooperation against regional and global security challenges.
"North Korea has nothing to gain from nuclear development and will only face isolation in the international community. We request active attention and cooperation from the international community for North Korea's denuclearization," Shin said at the three-day SDD that kicked off Tuesday.
The defense chief said South Korea has been beefing up its military capabilities under the principle of "peace through strength," in close coordination the United States, as well as through trilateral security cooperation also involving Japan.
South Korea and the U.S. established the Nuclear Consultative Group under the Washington Declaration issued during a bilateral summit in April to strengthen the credibility of U.S. extended deterrence.
Extended deterrence refers to the U.S. commitment to defending an ally using all of its military capabilities, including nuclear weapons.
In August, the leaders of South Korea, the U.S. and Japan agreed to bolster trilateral security cooperation against North Korean missile and nuclear threats at their summit in Camp David.
Shin also stressed the need for regional and global cooperation to deal with emerging security threats amid the prolonged Ukraine-Russian war and the Israel-Hamas conflict.
"The prolonged Ukraine-Russian war has ripple effects across the globe, including the energy and food crises. The recent Israel-Hamas conflict has emerged as a new source of instability, while non-traditional security threats, such as climate change, cyber and space challenges, are also posing risks to humanity," Shin said. "Cooperation by the international community is urgently needed to overcome these security threats."
The defense forum brought together some 800 security officials and civil experts from 56 countries, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union, including minister-level officials from Australia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Brunei and Fiji.
Three key plenary sessions will discuss international community's response to North Korea's escalating nuclear threats; efforts for a free, peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific region; and ways for regional and global cooperation in a new security environment.
The annual forum was first launched in 2012 for talks on promoting peace on the Korean Peninsula and enhancing regional security cooperation.
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