Yoon: "The International Community Must Show a Stronger Commitment to Denuclearization Than North Korea's Nuclear Threat"

First Korean Leader's Speech at NATO Stage
Warning to North Korea and Call for Cooperation
Defense Industry Sales Results Soon to Materialize

[Image source=Yonhap News]

(Madrid, Spain = Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan) President Yoon Suk-yeol stated on the 29th (local time), "To bring North Korea onto the path of denuclearization, we must clearly demonstrate that the international community's will for denuclearization is stronger than North Korea's reckless determination to develop nuclear weapons and missiles."

As the first Korean head of state to deliver a speech on the stage of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), President Yoon also issued a strong warning message, saying, "North Korea's nuclear and missile programs are a clear violation of United Nations (UN) Security Council resolutions."

President Yoon conveyed this message at the 'NATO Summit of Allied and Partner Nations' held in Madrid, Spain, urging NATO allies and partner leaders for continued cooperation and support in coordinating efforts against North Korea.

Following British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, President Yoon was the seventh to take the podium and delivered a clear 'message to North Korea' even within the brief 3 to 4 minutes allotted for his speech. He pointed out that North Korea's nuclear weapons and missiles pose a "serious challenge to peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and the international community," emphasizing that the international community must strongly demonstrate its will for North Korea's denuclearization.

President Yoon's commitment to international cooperation against North Korea continued throughout the NATO summit. Starting with a meeting with the Australian Prime Minister on the 28th, he raised the North Korean nuclear issue first in meetings with leaders from the Netherlands, Poland, France, as well as in the Asia-Pacific Four, the Korea-U.S.-Japan summit, and his meeting with the President of the European Union Council.

Announcing a policy to expand markets into Europe, President Yoon is expected to achieve concrete results in fields such as the defense industry. During the summit with Poland, President Yoon actively engaged in defense sales, with visible outcomes anticipated soon.

In this regard, the Presidential Office has also set a new goal of becoming the "world's 3rd to 4th largest defense power" within five years. Additionally, regarding nuclear power, full efforts were made to persuade the Czech Republic and Poland, where the selection of operators is imminent.

Discussions on semiconductor and advanced industrial materials supply chain cooperation were held with the Netherlands and Australia, while with France, both countries exchanged intentions to cooperate in the space industry, including the development of small and medium-sized satellites.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.