SEOUL-- South Korea will host an annual international security forum next week to discuss global cooperation for peace amid growing instability from the ongoing war in Ukraine, cyberthreats and other challenges, the defense ministry said Monday.
The three-day Seoul Defense Dialogue (SDD) 2022 is set to kick off at Lotte Hotel in central Seoul on Sept. 6 under the theme of "How to Address Complex Security Challenges: Fostering International Solidarity."
It would mark the first in-person SDD forum since 2019. The forum took place virtually in 2020 due to COVID-19 and in a hybrid format -- both online and offline -- last year.
"In order to overcome such diversified threats and build sustainable peace, it is vital to bring solidarity and cooperation to the international community," Vice Defense Minister Shin Beom-chul said of the forum's purpose.
During this year's edition, the SDD Space Security Working Group will be launched to discuss global cooperation in promoting security in the strategically crucial domain, according to the ministry. The forum's existing Cyber Working Group will also resume this year after a three-year hiatus.
The forum includes three key plenary sessions on cooperation in promoting North Korea's denuclearization and rebuilding trust within the Indo-Pacific region, and the role of the military in hybrid warfare involving both conventional and unconventional war instruments.
In addition, four special sessions have been arranged to discuss international peacekeeping operations, the fight against disinformation, defense technologies for military modernization and defense acquisition efforts.
Source: Yonhap News Agency