'Security is no longer confined by geography. The Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific are increasingly connected by common security challenges,' says South Korean president
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South Korea is the second-largest supplier of arms to European NATO members after US
'My vision is for Korea and NATO to become long-term partners,' President Lee tells Anadolu
A country thousands of kilometers from Brussels, with no seat at NATO's table, nonetheless emerged as one of the alliance's most active partners during this week's summit in Ankara.
For South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, attending his first NATO summit since taking office was not simply about reaffirming solidarity with the alliance. It was about positioning Asia's fourth-largest economy and one of the world's fastest-growing arms exporters as a long-term strategic and industrial partner for NATO, at a time when European and Indo-Pacific security are becoming increasingly intertwined.
"My message in Ankara is simple: Security is no longer confined by geography. The Euro-Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific are increasingly connected by common security challenges," Lee told Anadolu.
"In this new era, security is determined not only by military strength, but also by technological innovation, resilient industrial bases, and trusted partnerships," he said.
South Korea is one of NATO's four Indo-Pacific partners (IP4), alongside Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Since first being invited to a NATO summit in 2022, the group has become an increasingly prominent feature of alliance meetings as NATO seeks closer cooperation with like-minded partners beyond the Euro-Atlantic region.
Packed schedule
Over two days, Lee held a packed schedule of meetings. He met NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte shortly after arriving Tuesday, their first in-person encounter, and delivered a keynote address to the NATO Summit Defense Industry Forum.
At a welcome dinner hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, he spoke with US President Donald Trump. According to Lee's office, the two leaders discussed the cooperation in building US military vessels, revisiting a discussion first held during the G7 summit in France last month.
On the second day of summit, Lee also held his first formal bilateral talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, pledging $100 million in non-lethal reconstruction aid to Ukraine "as a demonstration of its commitment to international peace and security."
The 36th NATO summit, hosted in Ankara on July 7-8, brought together leaders of the alliance's 32 member states as it moves to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035. NATO accounts for roughly 55% of global defense spending.
Over two days in Ankara, Lee sought to translate that political partnership into concrete industrial cooperation.
source: aa