Korea, NATO upgrade partnership, stress security cooperation

President Yoon Suk Yeol and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg agreed to upgrade the partnership between the North Atlantic alliance and Korea in Lithuania on Tuesday.

President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, shakes hands with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania on Tuesday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

President Yoon Suk Yeol and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg agreed to upgrade the partnership between South Korea and the Atlantic alliance.

Meeting in Lithuania on Tuesday, the pair stressed that cooperation between the two sides is important for global security.

"Korea is a very highly valued partner of NATO," Stoltenberg told Yoon on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Vilnius. "We value the partnership with you because security is not regional, security is global. What happens in the Indo-Pacific matters for Europe and what happens in Europe matters for the Indo-Pacific."

The two leaders adopted an Individually Tailored Partnership Programme (ITPP) between Korea and NATO to upgrade the existing partnership, expanding bilateral cooperation in 11 sectors including disarmament and nonproliferation; cybersecurity; emerging technologies; science and technology; and climate change.

The two sides previously shared an Individual Partnership and Cooperation Programme (IPCP) which covered seven sectors signed in September 2012.

"The war in Ukraine has global ramifications, and I thank you for your strong position condemning the illegal invasion of Ukraine," Stoltenberg told Yoon. "We are also very concerned about the nuclear missile programs of North Korea. This affects all NATO allies and just underlines the importance of all those who believe in the rules-based order to stand together and to stand up for international rules-based order."

He went on to "welcome the fact that we have finalized our program for further the partnership program."

"Last year, I focused on the sense of bond and solidarity, with countries sharing common values with the NATO allies, and this year's summit will focus on institutionalizing the framework of our cooperation with NATO," Yoon said, calling to further enhance cooperation in sharing military information and in cybersecurity matters.

Yoon stressed that cooperation between the Transatlantic and the Indo-Pacific region "is an integral part of global security," calling for close cooperation between NATO allies and its Asia-Pacific Partner (AP4) countries to deal with global security and emerging security threats. The AP4 countries are South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, who also met last year at the NATO summit in Madrid.

On Monday, Yoon and first lady Kim Keon-hee arrived in Lithuania as a part of a six-day, two-country trip that will later take them to Poland.

This marks Yoon's second consecutive year attending the NATO summit after Korea was invited as a partner country to last year's gathering in Madrid.

Yoon was scheduled to take part in the Vilnius summit on Tuesday and Wednesday, bringing the 31 NATO member states and other partner countries together — with the Ukrainian war and emerging security threats high on the agenda. During the two-day meeting, NATO leaders were expected to show resolve to support Ukraine and deter future Russian aggression.

On Tuesday morning, Yoon also met with a bipartisan U.S. congressional delegation including U.S. Senators Pete Ricketts, a Republican of Nebraska, Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat of New Hampshire, Thom Tillis, a Republican of North Carolina, and Dan Sullivan, a Republican of Arkansas. Shaheen and Tillis serve as co-chairs of the Senate NATO observer group.

Yoon was scheduled to later attend a dinner banquet scheduled for NATO and partner country leaders.

On the sidelines of the NATO gathering, Yoon was also expected to hold at least 10 bilateral meetings with the leaders of countries including Norway, the Netherlands, Portugal, New Zealand, Romania, Sweden and Hungary.

"Since becoming NATO's partner country in 2006, Korea has jointly responded to security threats facing the international community with NATO," said Kim Eun-hye, senior presidential secretary for public affairs, in a briefing. "Strengthening cooperation between NATO and Asia-Pacific countries, including Korea, begins with the recognition that Atlantic security and Indo-Pacific security are closely linked."

Yoon will also discuss ways to contribute to expanding information sharing with the United States and other NATO allies, Kim added.

He also plans to discuss measures to counter North Korea's nuclear missiles with NATO members and partner countries, to emphasize the international community's resolute and unified cooperation against Pyongyang's illegal activities.

On Wednesday, Yoon will moderate a meeting with the leaders of the AP4 countries.

A bilateral summit between Yoon and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will also be closely watched as an opportunity for both sides to express views on Japan's impending plans to discharge treated wastewater from its crippled Fukushima nuclear plant.

During the flurry of meetings, Yoon was also expected to continue diplomatic efforts after attending the general assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) in Paris last month to promote Busan's 2030 World Expo bid.

President Yoon Suk Yeol and first lady Kim Keon-hee take a stroll in Vilnius Old Town, a Unesco World Heritage Site, on Monday, during a visit to Lithuania for the NATO summit. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

During a stroll in the Old Town of Vilnius on Monday, Yoon and first lady Kim bumped into the U.S. congressional delegation, which sang to him Don McLean's song "American Pie."

It was an homage to Yoon's own impromptu rendition of "American Pie" sung at U.S. President Joe Biden's state dinner in Washington in April, an event which made headlines.

The presidential couple was greeted by U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts and his congressional team, who were eating outdoors at a restaurant and broke out in song, according to presidential spokesperson Lee Do-woon.

The senator thanked Yoon for his "wonderful address" to the U.S. Congress during his U.S. visit in April and said he looked forward to seeing the president again Tuesday for a separate meeting.

Yoon and Kim were also greeted by locals during their walk.

Later in the evening, Yoon and Kim ran into European Council President Charles Michel and his wife, said Lee. Michel last met with Yoon in Seoul in May during a visit with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]