Lee heads to NATO summit with eye on world’s largest defense market

President Lee Jae Myung will the July 7-8 NATO summit, where he hopes to deepen security, defense and economic cooperation with member states while laying the groundwork for South Korea’s entry into the alliance’s defense procurement market.

Cheong Wa Dae announced Friday that Lee will attend the summit in Ankara, Turkey, at the invitation of NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. It will be Lee’s first participation in the alliance’s leaders’ meeting since taking office in June 2025.

The event comes at a critical juncture: The 32-member NATO alliance and cornerstone of collective defense in the Euro-Atlantic region, faces profound challenges from Russia’s war in Ukraine, instability in the Middle East, and repeated calls from the United States for alliance members to increase defense spending.

Uncertainty surrounding Washington’s long-term role in NATO has added to an already complex security landscape.

Lee is set to meet Rutte on July 7 for their first face-to-face meeting following two phone calls, National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said Friday during a press briefing.

The two leaders are expected to “further solidify mutual trust and ties, review the current state of Korea-NATO relations, and engage in in-depth discussions on future directions for strengthening cooperation,” Wi explained.

Lee will also attend a small-group meeting with Rutte and the leaders of NATO’s four Indo-Pacific partner countries — Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea.

Lee will deliver keynote remarks at the NATO Defense Industry Forum during the “Shared Values, Stronger Industrial Foundations” session and participate in a panel discussion.

Lee’s attendance is an opportunity to “promote the strengths of K-defense and its swift procurement capabilities to NATO allies and partner nations,” Wi explained.

In the evening, Lee will attend an official welcome banquet hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the first lady.

Wi said Cheong Wa Dae is coordinating the schedules of bilateral meetings on July 8, “with priority given to countries that have substantial demand for practical cooperation, including in the defense sector,” without further elaboration.

However, Wi said Seoul is not planning a one-on-one meeting between Lee and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. The two leaders met on June 16 on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Evian, France. However, speculation about a subsequent meeting drew attention amid South Korea’s bid for Canada’s submarine procurement project in competition with Germany.

Wi underscored the significance of Lee’s attendance at the NATO summit, explaining that “NATO allies are increasing defense spending and pushing to strengthen their own defense production capabilities amid deepening geopolitical instability.”

“We will establish a full-scale foothold for advancing into the world’s largest NATO defense market and building a solid defense industrial supply chain,” Wi said.

“As a non-NATO member state, we must also advance partnerships that strengthen interoperability in line with NATO standards so that defense materiel can be exported smoothly to NATO allies,” Wi added.

Wi further explained that Seoul seeks to “forge tangible pathways for cooperation aimed at advancing Korea’s goal of becoming one of the world’s top four defense-exporting nations.”

“Based on trust built at the leaders’ level, we will also work to establish the institutional foundations necessary for our defense companies to be stably integrated into NATO supply chains,” Wi underlined.

Another key goal for Seoul is to “strengthen solidarity with countries participating in the NATO Summit across a wide range of areas, including security, defense industry cooperation and economic collaboration.”

The Lee administration aims to “strengthen the country’s capabilities to respond to future warfare through cooperation with NATO in the field of innovation,” taking this summit as an opportunity.

“We will lay the groundwork for our military and companies to participate in NATO’s innovation-sector networks in areas such as drones and space, so that they can acquire key technologies for future warfare and pursue joint development,” Wi said.

Wi explained the NATO summit will be held as NATO member countries are “working to build an innovation ecosystem to apply advanced technologies such as drones and AI to the battlefield, as their strategic importance has been proven on the battlefield in Ukraine.”

As the next stop on his trip, Lee will make a state visit to Mongolia from July 9 to 11 at the invitation of Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh, with the goal of “strengthening the Korea-Mongolia Strategic Partnership,” according to Wi.

The visit will mark the first state visit to Mongolia by a South Korean president in 15 years, and the first since then-President Park Geun-hye visited in 2016.

Taking place just one year after the launch of Lee’s administration — the earliest timing among previous Korean governments — the visit “can be said to demonstrate the will of the two leaders to advance bilateral relations,” Wi said.

Following their summit on July 9, the two leaders are expected to issue a joint declaration titled “The Golden Age of Korea-Mongolia Relations,” outlining a shared vision for the future of bilateral ties.

Lee’s trip to Ulaanbaatar also aims to “discuss ways to strengthen cooperation in trade and supply chains based on the complementary nature of the two economies,” Wi said.

Following the summit, Lee will deliver keynote remarks at the Korea-Mongolia Business Forum.

Wi explained that Lee’s visit also aims to “build a partnership for realizing peace on the Korean Peninsula.”

“The two leaders will discuss peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, as well as ways to reduce regional tensions and build trust, while seeking viable paths toward resuming dialogue with North Korea,” he added.

Mongolia maintains traditional friendly ties with North Korea, having been the second country after the former Soviet Union to establish diplomatic relations with Pyongyang.

On July 10, Lee is scheduled to meet separately with Mongolian Parliament Speaker Dashzegviin Amarbayasgalan and Prime Minister Zandanshatar Gombojav before attending a state banquet hosted by Khurelsukh.

On July 11, Lee and Khurelsukh will attend the opening ceremony of Mongolia’s Naadam Festival as guests of honor, marking the first time a South Korean president has received such an invitation.