This year's Seoul Defense Dialogue had its official opening ceremony Thursday morning at the Westin Chosun Seoul,... with hundreds of vice ministerial officials and experts from over 50 countries.
During the ceremony,.. Seoul's defense minister Song Young-moo said,.... the Korean Peninsula is facing a great period of transformation,.... and current efforts for establishing permanent peace shouldn't be stopped,... so that Korea doesn't repeat the past 70 years of conflicts and hostility.
Director of National Security Office Chung Eui-yong also gave a speech,... highlighting the Moon administration's drive to achieve the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
He said,.... previous efforts to solve the North Korean crisis through power didn't bear any results,... saying,... he hopes that through next week's inter-Korean summit,... the two leaders will discuss more concrete ways for denuclearization.
Under the theme of 'Sustainable Peace: from conflict to cooperation,"... the three-day forum covers a range of security issues,... including confidence building in Northeast Asia,... and maritime security.