Lee to depart on five-day trip for NATO summit in Turkey, state visit in Mongolia

President Lee Jae Myung will embark on a five-day trip on Tuesday to attend the NATO summit in Turkey, an occasion to strengthen defense industry cooperation, and make a state visit to Mongolia, the Blue House said Friday.

Lee will head to Ankara for a two-day visit to attend the NATO leaders' summit from Tuesday to Wednesday before flying to Ulaanbaatar for a state visit from Thursday to Saturday, National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said in a press briefing to announce the trip at the Blue House in central Seoul.

The president's attendance at the NATO gathering, after taking part in the Group of Seven summit in France last month as a partner nation, will serve to further broaden the horizons of Korean diplomacy, Wi said. The visit also signifies a move to actively pursue defense industry cooperation with NATO allies, who constitute the world's largest defense market, accounting for 55 percent of global defense spending.

Lee is going to the summit, which takes place on Tuesday and Wednesday, at the invitation of NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand are members of the Indo-Pacific Four (IP4), NATO’s four partners in the region. The president is attending this year's summit after skipping the gathering last year.

On Tuesday, Lee will join Rutte for a small-group meeting with the IP4 nations, serving as a high-level platform for cooperation between NATO and its Indo-Pacific partners and reflecting a shared commitment to strengthening security cooperation.

Lee will also attend a NATO defense industry forum and deliver a keynote speech during a session on "Shared Values, Stronger Industrial Foundations.” He will then attend an official welcome banquet hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

“This visit will serve as a springboard to enter the world’s largest defense market — NATO — and to establish a robust defense supply chain,” Wi said, noting that the Blue House is finalizing bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the gathering.

“We will directly showcase the excellence and rapid procurement capabilities of the South Korean defense industry to NATO allies and partner nations, while paving the way for cooperation to achieve our goal of becoming one of the world’s top four defense exporters,” Wi said. “Given that the strategic importance of cutting-edge technologies, such as drones and AI, has been proven on the Ukrainian battlefield, we will strengthen our capabilities to respond to future warfare through cooperation with NATO in innovative fields.”

From Thursday, Lee will pay a three-day state visit to Mongolia for a summit with President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh. This marks the first state visit to Mongolia by a South Korean president in 15 years.

The summit will be followed by a ceremony for the signing of memorandums of understanding and a joint press briefing. The two leaders plan to issue a joint declaration on "The Golden Age of South Korea-Mongolia Relations," outlining a future vision for the bilateral relationship.

Lee will deliver a keynote address at a Korea-Mongolia business forum, where officials and business leaders from both countries will gather to discuss ways to enhance economic cooperation.

On Friday, Lee will meet with Mongolia’s prime minister and parliamentary speaker, as well as the Korean community in Ulaanbaatar.

On Saturday, he will attend the opening ceremony of the Naadam Festival, Mongolia's largest national celebration, as a guest of honor, a first for a Korean leader.

“Mongolia is a strategic hub connecting Northeast Asia and Eurasia, and an important cooperation partner expanding cooperation with various countries, including Korea, based on the ‘third neighbor policy,’” Wi said, referring to Mongolia's diplomatic strategy of building ties with countries other than its geographical neighbors, Russia and China. “This aligns with our government’s initiative to expand cooperation with the 'New Northern' region and diversify diplomacy.”

He added that Mongolia is a “resource-rich country possessing abundant key minerals,” which could serve as an opportunity to strengthen trade and supply chain cooperation.

He also noted that Mongolia traditionally maintains friendly ties with North Korea, having been the second country after the former Soviet Union to establish diplomatic relations with Pyongyang.

“We can also expect results in building a partnership to realize peace on the Korean Peninsula,” Wi said. “While discussing peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, as well as ways to ease regional tensions and build trust between the two leaders, they will seek ways to resume dialogue with North Korea.”

BY SARAH KIM [[email protected]]