Seoul: South Korea and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) have agreed to establish a working-level consultative body focused on defense industry cooperation, as announced by the presidential office on Thursday. This agreement was made during a meeting between National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on the sidelines of the NATO summit in The Hague.
According to Yonhap News Agency, during the meeting, Wi Sung-lac delivered a personal letter from President Lee Jae Myung, explaining the president's absence from this year's summit and reaffirming his commitment to strengthening the partnership between South Korea and NATO. The presidential office stated that Wi expressed the hope that South Korea and NATO, sharing the values of democracy and peace, would actively cooperate in addressing complex global challenges.
Wi Sung-lac emphasized the strong potential for expanded cooperation in the defense industry, citing South Korea's advanced defense capabilities. The two sides agreed to establish a new director-general level South Korea-NATO defense industry consultation body to discuss specific measures for enhancing cooperation in the defense sector.
They also agreed to promote defense industry cooperation through South Korea's participation in future NATO projects aimed at strengthening the transatlantic alliance's defense capabilities. On Wednesday, Wi participated in a separate session with Rutte and representatives from Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. During this session, the participants adopted a joint statement reaffirming their shared commitment to closer cooperation between NATO and its Indo-Pacific partners, particularly in practical areas such as defense.
The partners also agreed to continue advanced collaboration in securing supply chains and in defense development, production, and procurement. They pledged to work together on joint projects in space and maritime domains, as well as in munitions, as stated in the joint statement.