SEOUL - Vice Defense Minister Kim Seon-ho of South Korea emphasized the need for enhanced international collaboration in response to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats during the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) in Jakarta. According to the South Korean Defense Ministry, the meeting, attended by defense officials from nine ASEAN countries and eight other nations, including U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, served as a platform for Kim to voice concerns about the global challenge posed by North Korea's weapons development. Kim urged the international community to unite for North Korea's denuclearization and indirectly criticized Russia for its alleged involvement in the weapons trade with Pyongyang, calling it a violation of international law.
According to Yonhap News Agency, At the meeting, Kim also stressed the importance of upholding a rules-based order and ensuring a free, peaceful, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region. On the sidelines, Kim held bilateral discussions with the Philippines' Secretary of National Defense Gilberto C. Teodoro and Laos' Defense Minister Chansamone Chanyalath. With Teodoro, Kim agreed to strengthen defense and arms industry ties and underscored the significance of peaceful dispute resolution in the South China Sea. During his talks with Chanyalath, Kim pledged support for Laos as the upcoming chair of ASEAN.