South Korea to Attend NATO Defense Ministers Meeting for the First Time

Mark Rutte, Newly Appointed NATO Secretary General, Makes Surprise Announcement at Inaugural Press Conference

Mark Rutte, the new Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

The four Indo-Pacific countries (IP4), including South Korea, will attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Defense Ministers Meeting for the first time.

Mark Rutte, the newly appointed NATO Secretary General, made this surprise announcement at his inauguration press conference held on the 1st (local time) at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. He revealed that South Korea, Australia, Japan, and New Zealand will participate in the NATO Defense Ministers Meeting scheduled for the 17th to 18th of this month in Brussels.

The IP4 countries have been invited to NATO summits and foreign ministers' meetings for three consecutive years, but this is their first attendance at a Defense Ministers Meeting, which deals with military policies.

This invitation increases the likelihood of expanded practical cooperation between NATO and the IP4 countries in areas such as the defense industry. Attendance at the Defense Ministers Meeting suggests that substantive cooperation between NATO and the IP4 countries can be further strengthened.