South Korean authorities announced this Friday that President Lee Jae Myung will attend the upcoming NATO summit in Ankara, the capital of Turkey, on July 7 and 8, a meeting that will also include a specific forum with Indo-Pacific partner countries.
As explained by his National Security Advisor, Wi Sung Rak, the head of state will travel to Turkey to participate in the high-level discussions of the summit, in a new phase with which South Korean diplomacy aims to strengthen its external projection, after having participated last month in the G7 summit.
The meeting is also considered a key opportunity to intensify defense collaboration with Atlantic allies. NATO is classified as the largest global market in this area, concentrating 55% of global defense spending, in a context where Seoul is strongly promoting its military industry.
During his stay, Lee will take part in a meeting with representatives from Indo-Pacific countries, a NATO forum in which Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand participate, conceived as a space for coordination and cooperation between the allies and that region.
In addition, the South Korean president will deliver a speech at the NATO Defense Industry Forum, an event parallel to the summit in Ankara that brings together prominent players in the sector. "Through this participation, we will lay the groundwork for entering the world's largest NATO defense market and establishing a solid defense supply chain," Wi indicated.
The Seoul government will take advantage of the event to emphasize the "rapid acquisition" of its weapons systems and its industrial projects aimed at positioning the country among the "four major global defense export powers."