President Lee Jae Myung meets Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in Ankara as South Korea seeks to deepen defense cooperation with the alliance. Lee and Store hold bilateral talks in which both sides express hope the meeting lays groundwork for further strengthening relations, including in defense and security, according to the Korean sources. The exchanges take place as Seoul looks to broaden strategic partnerships beyond its traditional allies and to expand defense exports. The articles also cite NATO’s overall role in global defense spending and procurement, noting member states account for roughly 55% of world defense spending and form the largest defense procurement market. They further reference NATO’s commitment to raise defense spending to 5% of gross domestic product amid shifting security conditions.
In a separate meeting at the summit, Lee and Rutte hold their first in-person encounter after two prior phone calls. Rutte tells Lee he is pleased to meet in person and credits Lee’s efforts to keep South Korea-NATO relations growing. The coverage also indicates additional bilateral meetings with NATO member leaders are scheduled.
