Yonhap Hosts Symposium on Security Policy Amid Global Challenges

SEOUL, June 26 (Yonhap) -- Yonhap News Agency, South Korea's key newswire, hosted a symposium Friday on charting security policy directions amid weakening alliances and growing challenges in economic security, such as supply chain disruptions.

The annual Korean Peninsula Symposium took place at Lotte Hotel Seoul in central Seoul, co-hosted by the Ministry of Unification and the Institute for National Security Strategy.

This year's theme was "Global complex crises and the Korean Peninsula."

In a keynote speech, Unification Minister Chung Dong-young called for a "practical" approach to resolving the North Korean nuclear issue and establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula, by shifting away from solely focusing on denuclearization.

Chung reiterated the need for a phased approach -- halting and scaling down the North's nuclear program before denuclearizing -- and stressed only resuming dialogue with Pyongyang can make it work.

In a congratulatory message, President Lee Jae Myung reaffirmed the commitment to pursuing "pragmatic diplomacy" to respond to complex global challenges in an "agile" manner.

"Through large-scale investment in and support for high-tech industries, we will make a leap forward as an industrial powerhouse leading the future," Lee said in a speech, read on his behalf by Seong Ghi-hong, senior presidential secretary for public relations and communication.

"We will spare no effort to secure new growth engines that will lead the global market and drive shared growth for all."

Among the key figures attending the forum were National Assembly Speaker Cho Jeong-sik and Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon.

U.S. House Reps. Young Kim (R-CA) and Ami Bera (D-CA) participated virtually in the opening ceremony with video messages emphasizing the South Korea-U.S. alliance.

Kim called for closer cooperation among South Korea, the United States and Japan to build joint deterrence amid an "unprecedented" moment of deepening ties involving North Korea, China and Russia.

Bera highlighted the alliance with South Korea as "an important key relationship" not just for the stability of East Asia and the Korean Peninsula, but also for the "future of the world."

Yonhap News Agency President and CEO Hwang Dae-il voiced hope that the forum will provide insights into the future of the Korean Peninsula and a clear-eyed assessment for the rapidly changing international order.

"Yonhap News Agency will continue to fulfill its role by providing accurate information, balanced perspectives and in-depth analysis, as it documents the present and future of the Korean Peninsula," Hwang said.

The first session of the forum brought together experts from the United States, Japan, China to examine shifting alliance dynamics in the current international order and discuss how major nations are responding to the evolving global security landscape.

In the second session, security experts and former foreign policy officials discussed growing uncertainties over economic and energy security, and explored how South Korea should navigate the challenges ahead.

Yonhap has hosted the symposium annually with the unification ministry since 2015 to bring together experts, politicians and government officials to examine the security situation on the Korean Peninsula and explore solutions to emerging issues.

The forum was livestreamed via YouTube links in Korean and English.