An opening ceremony for the eighth vice-ministerial Seoul Defense Dialogue was held on Thursday.
Aimed at facilitating discussions on situations on the Korean Peninsula and the surrounding region, as well as peacekeeping operations and cybersecurity... the forum brought together hundreds of officials and experts from around 50 countries and two international organizations.
In his keynote address, Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo highlighted the achievements of the Comprehensive Military Agreement, signed almost 12 months ago, in alleviating inter-Korean tensions.
This, despite the series of firings of short-range ballistic missiles by North Korea.
He highlighted the efforts to build mutual trust in the region through dialogue... while also pointing out that South Korea's security strategy lies in achieving peace by building strong military strength... and defense capability.