North Korea was called upon Sunday by a large majority of foreign ministers who attended Asia's largest security forum to immediately abandon its nuclear arms and missile programs.

While the key topics at the forum, including regional maritime issues, were nothing new, at least one noteworthy aspect this year was the debut of North Korea's new Foreign Minister Ri Su Yong on the regional diplomatic stage.

The 27-member ASEAN Regional Forum, which includes Japan, South Korea, the United States and members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is the only multilateral gathering of its kind taken part in by North Korea's foreign minister.