Senior Minister of State for Defence Mr Heng Chee How is on a four-day working visit to the Republic of Korea (ROK) to attend the Seoul Defense Dialogue (SDD) and the Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition (ADEX) from 16 to 19 Oct 2023.

At the SDD, Mr Heng spoke about building a free, peaceful and prosperous region at the second plenary session, where he emphasised that "ASEAN and the Asia-Pacific region need to remain open and inclusive for all who have a legitimate stake and interest in our region." Mr Heng also called for countries to work together to strengthen practical cooperation, enhance dialogue, and keep lines of communication open.

On the sidelines of the SDD, Mr Heng had bilateral calls with ROK Vice-Minister of National Defense Shin Beom-chul and First Deputy Director in the Office of National Security Kim Tae-hyo, where both sides reaffirmed the warm and friendly bilateral defence relations between Singapore and the ROK and exchanged views on regional security developments.

Organised by the ROK Ministry of National Defense, the annual SDD is a Track 1.5 forum for government officials and subject matter experts to discuss security issues in the Asia-Pacific. The theme of this year's SDD is "Cooperation and Solidarity for Freedom, Peace, and Prosperity".