jasdooit

President Lee Jae Myung, during his visit to Türkiye for the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) summit, stated on July 7 (local time), “In addition to the current defense industry collaboration centered around weapon system transactions, I suggest advancing our partnership into a ‘Korea-NATO Defense Industry Partnership 2.0,’ involving joint research, manufacturing, and operation of weapon systems.”

The president delivered this remark during a keynote address at the fourth meeting of the NATO Defense Industry Forum, an official activity of the summit. He voiced his desire to “develop and promote additional collaborative research initiatives, akin to NATO’s ammunition and space cooperation programs in which Korea is involved.” He further stated, “Safeguarding democracy, freedom, and peace is not solely the duty of one country,” and committed, “The Republic of Korea will serve as the most dependable ally.”

President Lee said, “Korea’s defense sector has developed through collaboration with NATO partners and reached a high level of technical alignment,” and added, “If Korea’s reliable manufacturing capacity and established technological skills are combined with NATO’s extensive experience, both parties’ security capabilities will be greatly enhanced.” NATO, which includes 32 member states, represents 55% of global defense spending and is the biggest defense market. Raising defense budgets is anticipated to be a key topic at this summit.

Starting from 2022, South Korea has been invited to the NATO summit as part of the Indo-Pacific Partner 4 Nations (IP4), along with Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. This marks President Lee’s first participation since assuming office.

When President Lee arrived in Ankara on July 7, he met with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte to talk about enhancing cooperation between South Korea and NATO, and had limited discussions with representatives from the IP4 group. Following the defense industry forum, he joined an official welcome dinner hosted by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his wife. On July 8, the last day of the summit, he is set to have bilateral meetings with major countries, with a possible additional meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump attracting interest.

• Monday 5900 won membership, 2900 won for newspaper readers, Chosun Membership
• 8 titles of newspapers and magazines worth 55,000 won, enjoy unlimited reading – Chosun Membership
• Receive 7000 points to use like cash, shop wisely, Chosun Membership