Singapore: Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back was set to depart for Singapore on Friday to attend an annual security forum, where he is expected to highlight South Korea's defense policy and hold a series of bilateral meetings with counterparts of key partner nations.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Ahn plans to deliver a speech to the plenary session of the Asia Security Summit, also known as the Shangri-La Dialogue, on Saturday. He will present South Korea's defense policy directions amid regional and global challenges. The forum is scheduled to run from Friday through Sunday.

After the session, Ahn is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi. The discussions will focus on advancing the defense partnership between the two neighbors. A significant point of discussion will be the potential resumption of their joint maritime search and rescue exercises, SAREX, after agreeing to restart the drills during their talks in Japan in January.

Ahn may also meet with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on the sidelines of the dialogue, although a formal bilateral meeting is unlikely since they already held talks in Washington earlier this month.

While attending the forum, Ahn is expected to conduct a series of two-way talks with counterparts from other countries, including Australia, Norway, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. It remains uncertain whether a trilateral gathering with the U.S. and Japan will occur.

In addition to these meetings, Ahn plans to engage with members of the U.S. House and Senate attending the forum, as stated by the defense ministry. Ahn will return home on Monday.