TURKISH CENTER for ASIA PACIFIC STUDIES
SEOUL, July 3 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung held his first phone talks with Mark Rutte, secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), on Thursday and discussed ways to deepen Seoul's partnership with the transnational military alliance, Lee's office said.
During the call, Lee congratulated Rutte for the successful hosting of the recent NATO summit in The Hague, the Netherlands, and stressed that Seoul will work to deepen the partnership between South Korea and NATO in the wake of multilayered crises across the globe, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said.
According to Kang, Rutte thanked Lee for having South Korean National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac join the NATO summit last week and delivering South Korea's resolute determination to cooperate with NATO.
The two sides also vowed to strengthen their cooperation in the defense industry, including on ways that South Korea can take part in a joint development project for NATO's next-generation energy systems.
Lee was invited to this year's NATO summit as head of a global partner nation of the organization but decided to skip it, citing domestic priorities and the growing uncertainty in the Middle East. Wi, Lee's top security aide, attended the gathering instead.
During Wi's visit to The Hague last week, the Seoul official met with Rutte and agreed to establish a working-level consultative body on defense industry cooperation.
According to Kang, Rutte also wished Lee success in his administration and expressed hope to meet in person at a mutually convenient time. Lee expressed welcome and said he looks forward to the Rutte's visit to South Korea at any time.
In a post later uploaded to X, formerly known as Twitter, Rutte said he spoke with Lee about the value of NATO and South Korea's partnership.
"We are enhancing shared security through regular information exchange and defence industrial cooperation," Rutte wrote on X, while also thanking Lee for South Korea's continued support for Ukraine.
Kim Hyun-soo
Source: Yonhap News Agency
Lee discusses deepening of S. Korea-NATO partnership in phone talks with Rutte
July 03, 2025