The Defense Ministry will hold an annual forum next week to discuss ways to boost mutual trust and cooperation among Asia-Pacific militaries, organizers said Thursday.

The three-day Seoul Defense Dialogue 2013 will kick off in Seoul on Monday with nuclear proliferation, cyber security and regional comprehensive security cooperation architecture as the main agenda.

The SDD will bring together some 180 participants from 21 countries, the U.N., EU and North Atlantic Treaty Organization, including renowned civilian experts and 11 vice minister-level officials.

“We expect the SDD to contribute to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and further in the Asia-Pacific,” the ministry said in a press release.

“We also anticipate that the SDD will serve as an opportunity to elevate Korea’s standing, as Korea will play a leading, active role in exploring ways to build military trust among participants and promote security cooperation.”

The forum consists of five sessions to discuss peace cooperation in Northeast Asia; the role of Asia-Pacific states to curb global proliferation; the military role in cyber security governance; development of international cyber security norms; and defense planning under budgetary constraints.”

Apart from these sessions, government officials from 13 nations including the U.S. and Japan will gather for a preparatory meeting where they will discuss the creation of a “cyber working-level group” to ensure multilateral collaboration to tackle cyber security issues.

Among the participants are Brunei’s Deputy Defense Minister Haji Mustappa; Lamberto Zannier, secretary-general of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe; the EU’s special adviser on security and defense, Michael Zilmer-Johns; and Vietnam’s deputy minister of national defense, Lt. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh.

The SDD was set up last year with the aims of boosting cooperation and exchanges among defense policymakers in the region and civilian security experts, and promoting peace and stability on the peninsula and beyond.

By Song Sang-ho (sshluck@heraldcorp.com)