Yoon Meets NATO Secretary General: "Institutionalizing Cooperation Framework... Military and Cyber Discussions"

"Confirming the Bond and Shared Values Between Korea and NATO"
Yoon "Visiting to Discuss Military Intelligence Cooperation with NATO"

President Yoon Suk-yeol stated on the 11th (local time) regarding his attendance at NATO, "I came to establish a framework for cooperation by creating an Individual Tailored Partnership Program (ITPP) between NATO and South Korea and to discuss cooperation in military intelligence and cyber fields with NATO."

On the morning of the same day, President Yoon met with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Vilnius, Lithuania, where the NATO summit opened, and conveyed the South Korean government's willingness to cooperate with NATO.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

President Yoon told Secretary General Stoltenberg, "You visited Seoul last year, and it is a pleasure and joy to meet again in Vilnius just six months later," adding, "When I was invited to last year's NATO summit, it was an opportunity to reaffirm the solidarity that shares the bonds and values between South Korea and NATO." He further explained, "This attendance at NATO is to institutionalize the framework for cooperation between both sides through the ITPP and to discuss cooperation with NATO in military intelligence and cyber fields."

He also emphasized cooperation with the four Asia-Pacific countries. President Yoon said, "In a situation where Atlantic security and Indo-Pacific security cannot be separated, close cooperation between NATO and Indo-Pacific countries such as South Korea, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand (the four Asia-Pacific countries, AP4) is more important than ever." He added, "I hope this NATO meeting will have meaningful discussions on global security and emerging security areas."

In line with this, President Yoon signed an Individual Tailored Partnership Program with Secretary General Stoltenberg, containing new cooperation measures in 11 fields including science and technology and counter-terrorism. This is an upgrade from the existing South Korea-NATO cooperation document signed in 2019, the Individual Partnership Cooperation Program (IPCP). It is known that Japan and Australia have completed this negotiation.

The South Korea-NATO ITPP consists of a total of 11 areas: ▲ Dialogue and consultation ▲ Counter-terrorism cooperation ▲ Arms control and non-proliferation ▲ Emerging technologies ▲ Cyber defense ▲ Capacity building and interoperability ▲ Practical cooperation for interoperability ▲ Science and technology ▲ Climate change and security ▲ Women, peace, and security ▲ Public diplomacy. The Presidential Office explained, "The ITPP establishes a systematic cooperation foundation between NATO and partner countries. Unlike the previous IPCP, which simply listed cooperation areas, the ITPP specifies goals, selection background, strategic objectives, detailed project contents, and implementation timelines for each cooperation area."

President Yoon also agrees with NATO's expansion of the security cooperation scope from regional aspects to value-based aspects. This is based on the judgment that closer cooperation is needed on issues such as cyber security, maritime security, climate change, space, and artificial intelligence (AI) and other new technologies. In a written interview with AP before departure, President Yoon mentioned the necessity of cooperation between NATO and Asia-Pacific countries, stating, "Just as events in Europe have substantial and significant impacts on the Indo-Pacific region, events in the Indo-Pacific region can also have a great impact on European countries."

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