Yoon to head to U.S. next week to attend NATO summit, visit Indo-Pacific Command

President Yoon Suk Yeol will embark on a five-day trip to the United States starting Monday to attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Summit and visit the Indo-Pacific Command.

Kim Tae-hyo, the first deputy director of the National Security Office, gives a briefing on President Yoon Suk Yeol's trip to the United States for the NATO Summit at the presidential office in Yongsan on Friday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

President Yoon Suk Yeol will embark on a five-day trip to the United States starting Monday to attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Summit and visit the Indo-Pacific Command.

Amid escalating military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, highlighted by their comprehensive strategic partnership agreement, Yoon aims to send a strong message to these nations by strengthening solidarity with NATO, the presidential office said Friday. He will also discuss practical cooperation in the security and defense sectors.

The U.S. trip aims to "enhance South Korea's national security through strengthened global cooperation," said Kim Tae-hyo, the first deputy director of the National Security Office, during a briefing at the presidential office in Yongsan on Friday.

"Yoon will also send a strong message regarding military cooperation between Russia and North Korea and discuss collaboration with NATO to counter this threat," he added.

Korea was invited to the NATO summit for the third consecutive year as a non-NATO partner in the Indo-Pacific region, which includes Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Yoon attended the NATO Summit in Madrid, Spain, in June 2022 and the summit in Lithuania in July 2023, becoming the first Korean president to attend the NATO Summit for three consecutive years.

Upon arriving in Washington on Wednesday, Yoon is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with five or more NATO member countries to discuss bilateral issues and regional and international affairs.

Confirmed nations for these meetings include the Czech Republic, Sweden, Finland and Norway.

"These bilateral meetings involve countries that suggested meetings first or with which Korea has significant interests, such as defense, supply chains and nuclear cooperation," a presidential office told reporters under the condition of anonymity.

Finland and Norway, adjacent to Russia, already operate Korea's K9 self-propelled howitzers, with potential for further defense cooperation. In the Czech Republic, Korean companies are competing to construct a new nuclear power plant in the Dukovany region.

On Wednesday evening, the president and the first lady will attend a social dinner hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden and the U.S. first lady.

The following morning, Yoon will participate in the IP4 Summit, a meeting of the four Indo-Pacific NATO partners: South Korea, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. This summit is expected to strongly condemn North Korea-Russian military cooperation.

"This summit will provide an opportunity to send a unified message against the military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, not only from the 32 NATO allies but also from an Indo-Pacific perspective," the official said.

Anticipated separate summits between Korea and the United States; Korea and Japan; and Korea, the United States and Japan remain uncertain.

"While all possibilities are being considered, it is unclear what the outcome will be," the presidential official said. "Given the short time frame and the number of events, it is uncertain whether there will be time for separate meetings."

On Thursday afternoon, Yoon will attend the NATO Public Forum, where he will be the sole speaker for the Indo-Pacific session. This will mark the first time a Korean president has spoken at the NATO Public Forum.

Before heading to Washington, Yoon will visit Honolulu, Hawaii, from Monday to Tuesday.

On Monday afternoon, he will visit the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, where Korean War veterans are interred.

The next day, he will visit the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, receive a military and security briefing from its commander and encourage the troops stationed there.

BY SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]