Security officials and scholars from 24 countries called for greater efforts to foster trust and peace in East Asia and reduce military tensions in the region during an international defense forum in Seoul on Thursday.

At the Seoul Defense Dialogue hosted by South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense, the participants discussed how to address what President Park Geun-hye has called the “Asian Paradox,” which refers to the region’s sharp increase in economic cooperation alongside worsening distrust in military and political areas.

In a video message to the opening ceremony of the forum, President Park stressed that it was time for the international community to beef up joint efforts to enhance cooperation for security in East Asia mired in persistent historical and territorial disputes.

“The Asian paradox still persists in East Asia. Thus, it is the very moment that calls for stronger cooperation and dialogue than any other time,” Park said. “We need to build the practice of cooperation through our shared security awareness and dialogue, and create a framework for trust-building and cooperation.”

The defense forum kicked off its three-day run Wednesday, bringing together some 220 people from 24 countries, the United Nations, the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Among the participants were NATO Deputy Secretary-General Alexander Vershbow and Angela Kane, the high representative for disarmament affairs at the U.N.

South Korean Prime Minister Chung Hong-won used his opening remarks to urge North Korea to return to dialogue with the South, stressing that Seoul had been pushing for the resumption of talks with patience.

“I urge the North to come out for talks with a sincere attitude based on the belief that South Korea is sincere in its push for the inter-Korean dialogue,” he said. “Without addressing the issue surrounding the divided Korean Peninsula, it would difficult to anticipate enduring peace and prosperity in Northeast Asia.”

Prospects for the resumption of high-level inter-Korean talks remain bleak, as Pyongyang called on Seoul to stop civic groups floating balloons carrying anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets into the North.

During his congratulatory speech, Seoul’s Defense Minister Han Min-koo pointed out that to maintain the region’s economic vibrancy, countries should make concerted efforts to tackle various regional issues.

“Antagonism based on ideologies and religions, and military provocations are the stumbling blocks to regional stability and prosperity,” he said. “Economic security, and whatever security challenges we face, a single country can’t resolve it alone. We need to share the responsibility and strengthen cooperation to enable a sustainable peace and prosperity.”

Under the main theme of “From Conflict to Cooperation,” the forum deals with a wide range of issues including military trust-building, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, maritime security and cybersecurity.

This year’s SDD is paying particular attention to joint efforts to deal with security challenges in cyberspace. The forum held a “Cyber Working Group” session for the first time to delve into a series of cybersecurity problems.

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