S. Korean defense chief to attend ASEAN security forum

South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo will visit the Philippines next week to attend an international security meeting led by Southeast Asian countries, his ministry said Friday.

The defense chiefs of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and eight dialogue partners will huddle together in Clark, Pampanga, some 80 kilometers north of Manila, on Monday and Tuesday.

The other member states are the U.S., China, Japan, Russia, Australia, India and New Zealand.

The session will be held along with the ASEAN Defense Minister Meeting (ADMM).

Song "plans to discuss pending security issues on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia, attending the plenary session of the ADMM-Plus," according to the ministry.

He is also scheduled to hold bilateral and multilateral talks with some of his counterparts, it added.

"It's expected to serve as an opportunity to strengthen international cooperation for the denuclearization of North Korea and deepen defense ties with the Asia-Pacific nations," the ministry said.

The ADMM-Plus, launched in 2010, is held every two or three years. This year's session is the fourth of its kind.

Source : Yonhap