The 6th Sejong Policy Forum was held on Wednesday, June 15, 2016 on the topic of "The South China Sea Dispute and Security of East Asia." The forum was conducted in two separate closed sessions. During the first session, Professor Jae-cheol Kim from Catholic University of Korea and Dr. Soo-Hyung Lee from the Institute for National Security Strategy were invited as designated speakers for presentation on the current status and assessment of the South China Sea Dispute. Dr. In-Hyo Seol from Korea Institute for Defense Analyses and Dr. Ki-bum Lee from Asan Institute for Policy Studies participated in the second session for their presentation on the theme of forecasting East Asia's security situation amid the South China Sea Dispute. Vice President Sang-Hyun Lee of the Research Planning Division and President Chang Soo Jin moderated the first and second session discussions, respectively.

During the discussion, participants talked about the strategic and international legal issues concerning the ongoing territorial disputes in the South China Sea, as well as China's motivation and the U.S. role in the region. The progress and ramifications of the Shangri-La Dialogue and Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific were also discussed.

Some twenty panelists and speakers were invited to the forum from academic institutions, policy think tanks, and government agencies including Vice President Kang Choi from Asan Institute for Policy Studies, Professor Young Ho Kim from National Defense University, and Dr. Beom-Chul Shin, Director-General for Policy Planning at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.