In his opening remarks, RoK Prime Minister Han Duck-soo emphasized that the world is experiencing significant upheaval, with geopolitical competition becoming increasingly intense.

The world faces simultaneous threats such as new security challenges, large-scale disasters, infectious diseases, technology-driven terrorism, and fake news, and in this context, enhancing international cooperation is more crucial and urgent than ever, he said.

The Seoul Defense Dialogue (SDD) is a major international forum on regional and global security, organized annually by the RoK Ministry of National Defense since 2012. It brings together numerous high-ranking officials, experts, and scholars in defense and security from various countries and international organizations.

This year’s dialogue was attended by approximately 900 delegates from more than 70 countries and international organizations. Vietnam has participated in all SDD meetings so far.

Themed “International Cooperation Beyond Global Security Challenges” the SDD 2024 discussed measures to prevent conflicts and reinforce the international order governed by rules and norms; strategies to promote peace, freedom, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region; and approaches to tackle various security crises in an increasingly interconnected global environment.

Delegates shared perspectives on global and regional situations, aiming to build trust among participants, foster dialogue, and enhance cooperation.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien of Vietnam had bilateral meetings with key defense officials of the Republic of Korea, Laos, Cambodia, and the United Kingdom. They examined measures to enhance bilateral defense cooperation in the future.

Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien also had sidelines discussions with representatives from the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Asia and the Singapore-based Information Sharing Centre for the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against ships in Asia (RECAAP) to explore collaboration on maritime security and anti-piracy efforts in Asia.

At the Cybersecurity Working Group session during the 13th Seoul Defense Dialogue, Major General Nguyen Tung Hung, Deputy Commander of Command 86, spoke about the cybersecurity situation in Vietnam. He highlighted the role of the military in ensuring national security and proposed the establishment of a global cybersecurity information-sharing system.

VOV