Deputy Minister Wi Seong-rak met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and delivered a letter from President Lee Jae-myung focusing on 'defense industry cooperation,' the presidential office said on the 26th. Deputy Minister Wi attended the NATO summit held in The Hague, Netherlands, on the 24th and 25th (local time) representing President Lee, and met with Secretary General Rutte on the afternoon of the 25th to explain the reason for President Lee's absence.
According to the presidential office, the letter delivered by Deputy Minister Wi included an explanation of President Lee's absence from the NATO summit and emphasized the need to strengthen the Korea-NATO partnership. Secretary General Rutte responded by saying, 'I highly appreciate Korea's willingness to develop relations with NATO,' adding, 'NATO shares the same position.'
The two sides decided to establish a director-level defense cooperation body through this meeting and expand cooperation by participating in NATO's High Visibility Projects. Deputy Minister Wi emphasized the potential for defense collaboration between Korea and NATO, stating, 'Korea is the optimal partner for strengthening NATO's defense and defense industry capabilities as it possesses excellent defense capabilities.'
Deputy Minister Wi also attended the 'NATO-Asia-Pacific Partners Special Event' held at this summit. Representatives from key countries, including New Zealand, Australia, and Japan, attended this event. Deputy Minister Wi stated, 'Korea, as a country that has overcome a democratic crisis, will play a responsible role for international peace and security,' and added, 'We will work to enhance interoperability through standardization cooperation with NATO and contribute to strengthening the defense supply chain.'
The attending countries adopted a joint statement pledging cooperation centered on ▲supply chain security ▲new technology collaboration ▲defense procurement cooperation ▲military standard unification, according to the presidential office.