ROK invites DPRK to Seoul-hosted regional security forum

SEOUL - The Republic of Korea (ROK)'s Defense Ministry said Friday that it has invited the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to a Seoul-hosted regional security forum scheduled for September.

A ministry official said by phone that the country asked the DPRK to participate in the Seoul Defense Dialogue, a vice ministerial-level regional security forum launched in 2012 by the ROK to discuss ways of building military trust in the Asia-Pacific region.

The third round of dialogue was held in Seoul last October, and this year's forum would be held in September.