Page 234 - 2020 Defence White Paper

of COVID-19. The seminar was held by connecting domestic and foreign civilian
security experts through video conferencing and was broadcast live for the officials
in the security domain including national defense officials from around the world.
Under the theme "Emerging Security Challenges: Overcoming through Solidarity
and Cooperation", the participating countries, together with renowned security
experts, discussed in depth the world order and international cooperation measures
in the post-COVID era and the implications of non-traditional security threats to
national defense.
The ROK government actively shared the achievements of K-quarantine and
formed a consensus on the importance of the ROK government’s efforts to establish
peace on the Korean Peninsula with the international community. Despite the
limitations brought about by the pandemic, during this year’s SDD, the participating
countries not only maintained the dialogue’s driving force as an annual multilateral
security consultative meeting but also contributed to continuing talks and
communication in the field of defense.

ROK–ASEAN Special Summit The 3rd ROK–ASEAN special summit in
2019 commemorated the 30th anniversary
of the ROK–ASEAN dialogue relations, looking at the achievements of cooperation
for the past 30 years and presenting a vision for future cooperation for the next 30
years. In the field of defense and defense industry, the MND operated a task force to
support the successful hosting of the special summit. First, the MND actively
promoted the ROK–ASEAN special summit at international multilateral meetings

including the ADMM-Plus and policy briefing sessions for the defense attachés
group in the ROK. In addition, the MND supported the export of defense articles by
holding an export conference with the coast guards from 10 ASEAN countries and
by promoting the excellence of the ROK’s weapons system to ASEAN leaders who
visited military units operating these weapons systems and defense companies.
Through these efforts, the 2019 ROK–ASEAN special summit contributed in
achieving the diversification of diplomacy through the expansion of cooperation
related to NSP and the reinforcement of ASEAN’s support for the peace process on
the Korean Peninsula.

ROK–ASEAN Defense Vice- The ROK–ASEAN defense vice-ministerial
Ministerial Talks talks, first held during the 2017 SDD, has been
held every year until 2019. At the first iteration
in 2017, the two parties shared the recognition on the need for defense cooperation

232 2020 Defense White Paper