Singapore’s Senior Minister of State for Defence underscores the importance of cooperation and dialogue at the international security forum in Seoul.
Senior Minister of State for Defence Mr Zaqy Mohamad is on a working visit to the Republic of Korea (ROK) to attend the Seoul Defence Dialogue (SDD), held from 8 to 10 September 2025.
At a plenary session on “Strengthening Future Security through Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Emerging Technologies”, Mr Zaqy noted that the rapid pace of technological innovation is reshaping the security landscape, with threats extending beyond traditional geographic boundaries. He called for greater international collaboration to establish global norms and effective guardrails for emerging technologies, emphasising that dialogue is crucial in building trust and cooperation.
“Singapore remains committed to supporting dialogue and collaboration at multilateral and regional levels… Dialogue is also essential to drive progress. Without dialogue, there is no trust, no international cooperation, and no collective progress,” he said.
On the sidelines of the SDD, Mr Zaqy met ROK Vice Minister of National Defence Lee Doo-hee, where both sides reaffirmed strong bilateral defence ties and discussed cooperation in military exchanges and defence technology. He also held meetings with Sweden’s State Secretary to the Minister for Civil Defence, Mr Johan Berggren, Türkiye’s Deputy Defence Minister, Mr Musa Heybet, Japan’s Minister of Defence, Mr Nakatani Gen, and Vietnam’s Deputy Minister of National Defence, Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien, exchanging views on regional and global security developments.
The SDD, organised annually by the ROK Ministry of National Defence, is a Track 1.5 forum bringing together officials and experts to deliberate on security challenges in the Asia-Pacific. This year’s theme is “Confronting Geopolitical Challenges: Building Peace through Cooperation”.
Source: MINDEF
