On 24 June 2026, the Asia-Pacific Leadership Network (APLN) and the Jeju Peace Institute co-hosted a session titled “Between Collective Defense and Collective Security: Toward a New Security Architecture in East Asia” at the Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity 2026.

Moderated by former Australian Minister for Defence Robert Hill, the session brought together former Republic of Korea Minister of National Defense Suh Wook, former US Ambassador to the Republic of Korea and former US Pacific Command Commander Harry B. Harris Jr., and former Secretary-General of Japan’s National Security Secretariat Kitamura Shigeru.

From left: moderator Robert Hill with panellists Harry B. Harris Jr., Suh Wook, and Kitamura Shigeru at the Jeju Forum 2026.

About the Session

East Asia’s security landscape is changing rapidly. Strategic competition is intensifying, military capabilities are expanding, and economic and technological ties are increasingly being viewed through the lens of national security.

Against this backdrop, the panellists considered whether the region’s alliance-centred security architecture remains fit for purpose. They also discussed what it would mean to move beyond collective defence towards a broader approach to security—one that accounts for economic coercion, technological competition, vulnerable supply chains, cyber threats, and risks to critical infrastructure.

While approaching the question from different national perspectives, the panellists agreed that alliances and credible deterrence will remain important. At the same time, they acknowledged that military cooperation alone cannot address the full range of challenges facing the region.

Key Takeaways

Suh Wook

South Korea must maintain credible alliance-based deterrence while leaving room for broader regional cooperation and diplomacy.

Suh Wook argued that collective defence and collective security should not be treated as competing choices. The ROK–US alliance remains the foundation of South Korea’s defence, but broader arrangements are also needed to manage regional risks and maintain strategic stability.

He cautioned that stronger alliances can be perceived by other countries as instruments of containment. If poorly managed, this can deepen bloc confrontation and increase the risk that states become drawn into disputes involving their partners.

Discussing closer cooperation among North Korea, China, and Russia, Suh underscored the importance of South Korea’s regional partnerships, anchored in the ROK–US alliance. However, he maintained that military pressure alone cannot resolve the region’s security challenges and that space for diplomacy must remain open.

Harry B. Harris Jr.

Collective security must extend beyond military cooperation to include economic security, technology, supply chains, cyber resilience, and critical infrastructure.

Harry Harris described the current period as an inflection point for the international order. He identified China’s military expansion, North Korea’s advancing nuclear capabilities, and growing cooperation among China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran as major challenges to regional security.

On North Korea, Harris argued that successive US administrations had acted too late to prevent Pyongyang from developing its nuclear capabilities. Although he doubted that North Korea would willingly give up its nuclear weapons, he did not dismiss diplomacy. Rather, he stressed that engagement should be backed by credible capabilities and should not weaken the ability of the United States and its allies to respond to threats.

Harris described the United States’ network of alliances as one of its greatest strategic advantages. In his view, the trust and interoperability underpinning partnerships such as the ROK–US alliance are increasingly valuable in a fragmented international environment.

Kitamura Shigeru

Japan must integrate economic and technological security with military strategy while building practical cooperation among capable and willing partners.

Kitamura Shigeru argued that the long-standing assumption that economic interdependence naturally encourages peace has been overtaken by a world in which trade, technology, supply chains, and infrastructure can all be used as sources of strategic leverage.

He drew particular attention to control over critical chokepoints, including advanced semiconductor manufacturing, critical minerals, submarine cables, and energy infrastructure. These assets are not merely commercial; they increasingly shape both economic influence and military power.

For Japan, this shift requires a strategy that combines stronger deterrence with closer cooperation on economic security. Kitamura identified semiconductors, critical minerals, defence production, energy, cybersecurity, and infrastructure standards as areas where Japan and its partners should work more closely.

He also presented the Free and Open Indo-Pacific as more than a diplomatic slogan, arguing that it provides a basis for setting regional standards around freedom of navigation, transparency, sustainability, and the rule of law.

Rather than relying solely on large multilateral institutions, Kitamura called for smaller, issue-specific arrangements focused on shared technologies and vulnerabilities.

Discussion

During the audience discussion, participants questioned whether East Asia genuinely requires an entirely new security architecture or whether existing institutions—including the ASEAN Regional Forum and the East Asia Summit—could be adapted to address emerging challenges.

The exchange also clarified the distinction between collective defence, which generally centres on mutual defence commitments, and collective security, which encompasses a wider range of military and non-military risks. These include pandemics, climate change, technological disruption, economic coercion, and cyber threats.

No single institutional model emerged from the discussion. Instead, participants saw value in combining established alliances and regional forums with flexible arrangements focused on areas where states have both the willingness and capacity to cooperate.

In closing, Robert Hill observed that no “magic” new architecture is likely to resolve East Asia’s security challenges. A more stable regional order, he suggested, will depend on national resilience, credible partnerships, communication among states, and a fair distribution of the costs and benefits of cooperation.

Panellists

• Moderator: Robert Hill, former Minister for Defence of Australia

• Panellist: Harry B. Harris Jr., former United States Ambassador to the Republic of Korea and former Commander of the United States Pacific Command

• Panellist: Suh Wook, Senior Advisor at Hanwha Aerospace and former Minister of National Defense of the Republic of Korea

• Panellist: Kitamura Shigeru, CEO of Kitamura Economic Security and former Secretary-General of Japan’s National Security Secretariat

Event Details

Date: 24 June 2026
Time: 17:10–18:30 KST
Venue: Crystal Hall A, Haevichi Hotel & Resort, Jeju Island, Republic of Korea
Organised by: Asia-Pacific Leadership Network and Jeju Peace Institute

Watch the full session recording below.

 

Image: “Jeju Island” by Republic of Korea, CC BY-SA 2.0