▲ President Lee Jae-myung greets Han Byung-do, acting leader and floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam on the 7th, before departing for the NATO summit and a state visit to Mongolia.
President Lee Jae-myung departed for Ankara, Türkiye, this morning (the 7th) to attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit.
President Lee, accompanied by First Lady Kim Hye-kyung, boarded the presidential aircraft after being seen off by Han Byung-do, acting leader and floor leader of the Democratic Party; Minister of the Interior and Safety Yoon Ho-jung; Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik; Senior Secretary for Political Affairs Hong Ik-pyo; Second Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Kim Jin-a; Turkish Ambassador to South Korea Salih Murat Tamer; and Mongolian Ambassador to South Korea Sereejav Sukhbold.
President Lee will attend the NATO summit held in Ankara, Türkiye, for two days starting from the 7th.
South Korea was invited by Secretary General Mark Rutte as a member of NATO's Indo-Pacific partners (IP4: South Korea, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand).
President Lee stated on his social media, "Following the G7 summit last month, I intend to further expand South Korea's role for world peace and security on the NATO stage."
He added, "South Korea, which received help from the international community for a long time, has now become a country that contributes responsibly to world peace and security. I will do my best during this trip to bring even greater pride to our people."
Immediately after arriving in Ankara, President Lee will hold a small-group meeting with Secretary General Rutte. He will then attend the NATO Defense Industry Forum, one of the official events of the summit, and deliver a keynote speech at a session themed "Shared Values, Stronger Industrial Base."
In the evening, he will attend an official welcoming dinner hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the First Lady.
On the second day of his visit to Türkiye, tomorrow (the 8th), he plans to hold bilateral meetings with countries that have cooperation needs in fields such as the defense industry.
The presidential office explained that through meetings with leaders attending the NATO summit following the defense industry forum, they aim to establish a bridgehead for entering the world's largest NATO defense market.
Afterward, President Lee will travel to Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, for a state visit.
This is the first state visit to Mongolia by a South Korean president in 15 years, made at the invitation of President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh.
On the 9th, in Ulaanbaatar, President Lee will hold a summit with President Khurelsukh and announce the results of the meeting through an agreement and Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) exchange ceremony and a joint press statement.
The two leaders will also announce a joint declaration titled "The Golden Age of Korea-Mongolia Relations," which contains a future vision for bilateral ties.
President Lee is scheduled to return home on the 11th after completing a series of events, including a keynote speech at the Korea-Mongolia Business Forum, a visit to the memorial hall for independence activist Lee Tae-joon, a luncheon with Korean residents in Mongolia, and attending the opening ceremony of Mongolia's largest festival, the Naadam Festival, as a guest of honor.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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