A police officer walks along flags of nations participating in the meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) at the national convention center in Vientiane, Laos, Wednesday, July 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit, File)

Defense chiefs of South Korea, United States, Japan, the Philippines and Australia discussed multilateral cooperation on the sidelines of an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) defense ministerial meeting in Laos.

In their first joint meeting held in Vientiane, the defense chiefs "emphasized their shared commitment to advancing a vision for a free, open, secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific region where international law and sovereignty are respected," according to Seoul's defense ministry.

The participants were South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani, Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro and Australian Minister for Defense Industry Pat Conroy.

The meeting was arranged on the occasion of the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting (ADMM)-Plus.

The five sides underscored the importance of close multilateral cooperation to support security and stability in the region, the centrality and unity of ASEAN and the significance of ASEAN-led regional mechanisms.

Furthermore, the ministers and secretaries highlighted the progress made in strengthening defense cooperation and reaffirmed their commitment to future collaboration.

Kim and Nakatani also held a separate one-on-one meeting. They strongly condemned the comprehensive military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, including the deployment of North Korean troops to Russia.

The two sides agreed that South Korea and Japan would closely cooperate with the international community to block the Russia-North Korea military collaboration.

Earlier in the day, South Korean Vice Defense Minister Kim Seon-ho also condemned North Korea's deployment of troops in support of Russia in its war with Ukraine, expressing concerns that the North will likely use the technology and funds it receives in return to advance its nuclear and missile weapons.

Kim made the remark as he delivered a speech during a session at the ASEAN meeting.

"The deployment of North Korean troops is collusion with Russia's illegal invasion and an action that goes against humanity and peace by using young people as cannon fodder mercenaries," Kim said.

South Korea and the U.S. have said North Korean troops deployed to Russia are engaging in combat against Ukrainian forces in Russia's western border region of Kursk.

Raising concerns over the North using what it receives from Russia in return, Kim called for the immediate withdrawal of North Korean troops and international solidarity against deepening military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow.

ADMM-Plus opened its inaugural session in 2010 to enhance defense cooperation between ASEAN members and other regional states and has been held annually since 2018.

ASEAN comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam. (Yonhap)