South Korea's Defense Ministry has officially invited North Korea to join the Seoul Defense Dialogue in September.
 
A ministry official said the invitation was sent out to North Korea's vice defense minister Friday morning via the military hotline of the west coast Navy.
 
The ministry said it hopes North Korea accepts the invitation and joins efforts to boost mutual understanding and trust among countries in the Asia Pacific region.
 
Kicking off on September 9th for a four day run, the Seoul Defense Dialogue is in its fourth year, but this is the first time North Korea has been invited.
 
A total of 32 countries including the North have been invited along with the U.S., China, Russia and Japan.
 
The invitation was extended to North Korea considering that this year marks the 70th anniversary of the division of the Korean Peninsula.