Yoon likely to discuss Fukushima water discharge during NATO meeting

President Yoon Suk Yeol [Photo by Lee Seung-hwan]

President Yoon Suk Yeol is scheduled to depart next week for Lithuania, where he will attend the NATO Summit ahead of his official visit to Poland.

This marks Yoon’s second consecutive visit to NATO, during which he aims to engage in discussions on economic and security cooperation with leaders from various nations. Additionally, he plans to seek support and promote Busan’s bid to host the 2030 World Expo.

One of the highly anticipated events at the NATO Summit is the potential South Korea-Japan summit. Kim Tae-hyo, first deputy director of the National Security Office (NSO), revealed that ongoing coordination efforts are underway to facilitate a meeting between the leaders of South Korea and Japan during Yoon’s visit.

While specific agenda items have not been disclosed in advance, there is a possibility of addressing recent issues such as the management and disposal of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant, should the South Korea-Japan summit materialize, according to a high-ranking official at the presidential office.

On July 11, Yoon will hold back-to-back summits with the NATO Secretary General and the heads of state of more than five countries, including the Netherlands and Norway, before attending a NATO Allies and Partners Dinner hosted by the President of Lithuania that evening.

The following day, NATO’s Asia-Pacific Partners (AP4) - South Korea, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand - will meet. This is the second year in a row that NATO has hosted the AP4 summit, and it is significant that Yoon is chairing the meeting this year.

This will be followed by another meeting of all NATO allies and partners, where the war in Ukraine will be discussed, as well as NATO-international cooperation and emerging security threats. South Korea and NATO will also use the summit to adopt a document that will institutionalize bilateral cooperation in 11 areas, including cybersecurity and emerging technologies.

During Yoon’s visit to Poland, the Korea-Poland Business Forum will convene, drawing participation of business leaders from 89 South Korean companies. Business figures such as LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo, Hanwha Group Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan and LS Group Chairman Koo Ja-eun are among the delegates accompanying Yoon on this mission.