On the 25th (local time), National Security Office Deputy Minister Wi Sung-lak, attending the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in The Hague, Netherlands, met with U.S. Secretary of State Mark Rubio on behalf of President Lee Jae-myung. Both sides formed a consensus on the need to hold a U.S.-South Korea summit as soon as possible.
The Presidential Office noted, "Both sides agreed on the need for a prompt U.S.-South Korea summit and decided to continue close communication regarding this matter," and stated, "They extensively discussed the direction for further strengthening the successful alliance between the U.S. and South Korea, our country, and the issues at hand."
During the NATO summit, Deputy Minister Wi also separately met with Allison Hooker, a prominent Korea expert from the Donald Trump administration in the U.S. State Department. He also had discussions with Takeshi Iwaya, Japan's Foreign Minister, who was attending in place of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
The Presidential Office reported, "They agreed to develop cooperation between South Korea and Japan, as well as between South Korea, Japan, and the U.S., to respond to various geopolitical crises, including issues regarding North Korea, while exchanging opinions on international and regional situations."
Deputy Minister Wi also met with Tomasz Pojar, the Czech Republic's National Security Advisor. The Presidential Office announced, "Both sides evaluated the final contract for the Dukovany nuclear power plant and agreed to communicate closely to expand strategic cooperation between the two countries into various fields such as advanced industries, infrastructure, energy, and defense industry based on successful nuclear cooperation."
In addition, Deputy Minister Wi met with Maarten Boff, the Dutch Prime Minister's Senior Advisor on Foreign Affairs and Defense. The Presidential Office reported that they decided to develop cooperative relations focused on advanced technology fields such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI), and cybersecurity.